A Sage Unleashed
by Tonitrua Corde
Summary: What would happen if a lone Ronin Warrior took the war into his own hands? Taking place shortly after the start of Season 2, we explore that question, rewriting history. Does contain strong violence/death. I will never use language or explicit content. Absolutely non yaoi.
1. The Paths Divide

A Sage Unleashed

Chapter 1

Meditation brought no peace today.

The glorious warmth of the sun's rays gently caressed the young man's bared chest and arms. The effect of this early morning light was invigorating, and he allowed it to seep into every one of his exposed pores. Breathing deeply, he drank in the power of this most innocent form of light, new and wholesome, fusing it with his soul, and feeling himself charged and empowered for whatever lay ahead.

Its purity made him sharply return to his darkened thoughts. A man had died. The weapon that killed him had been, in part, powered by his own strength. When Ryo donned the White Armor, the connection between himself and the other four young men was heightened nearly to the point of being inside each other's hearts. They were, in a sense, since the White Armor drew its essence from each of them and used their strength, the power of their spirits to become.

Saranbo. Thinking the name of the slain man brought a great storm of feelings, sweeping into Sage's usually serene and protected cove of calm during his meditation. Saranbo. Another agent of evil that had tried to destroy the five of them. One of many. But the first living being they had killed. Connected trough the armor as they were, Sage had felt it, though it had been Ryo's hand fielding the blow. Sage had felt his shock, and his horror. Immediately had come the echoes from the others. They had all told themselves they were prepared to to do whatever it took to defend the Earth from the Dynasty, told themselves they were prepared to sacrifice anything to keep humanity safe. But they were still boys, and they weren't prepared. His own soul had cried with theirs. The man had been evil, yes, but he was flesh still, and not one of the empty constructs they were so used to cutting down.

It had only been two days since the death of Saranbo, but Sage had been watching the others, and could easily see it affected them still. It was in the way Rowen stared for too long in the distance. In the way Kento hadn't been eager to again face the enemy. In the way Cye would look startled and shiver unprovoked. The way he himself felt hesitation when he grasped his nodachi. And worst, in the thoughtful look Ryo had in his eyes, and the way he'd subconsciously clench and open his fists in satisfaction. They all pretended they hadn't felt it.

Sage was deeply disturbed. The sun brought little warmth to his heart as it continued its climb towards the heavens.

The Ronin Warriors were not left to longer contemplation. An hour after Sage had redressed and returned to the cabin, the Dynasty's soldiers struck again, led by the beautiful and deadly Lady Kayura.

Cye, staring out over the lake from the cabin's deck, saw them first. "Guys!" He yelled, his British accent strong and clear. "The Dynasty's back!"

From inside Ryo yelled, "Everybody into your armors! Let's take some names!"

They didn't really need to be told, and each was already in the mysterious process of calling their respective armors to them. In moments, the battle was on.

Sage noticed Cye's face had paled with the thought of battle, so he stayed close. He, Cye, and Rowen all found themselves focusing on the empty, armored automatons that the Dynasty's armies consisted of. He could soon see Cye's confidence returning, could see the trident swing and thrust more surely. Rowen's aim was steady, and his actions as focused as ever, yet the indescribable, intangible sense of power began to return. Perhaps he had felt it most acutely, as his Gin was Life. For himself, Sage found a soothing comfort in the rhythm of his swing, and though he was fighting for his life, he felt calm. But something wasn't right.

Though they had their hands quite full, Sage and Rowen could see Kento and Ryo attempting to bring down the female warlord, Lady Kayura. Hardrock and Wildfire were meeting no success. So far, they were only holding their own. The black haired, slender-built woman was dancing the steel like a devil. Her armoring was light, but built for movement, allowing her to make full use of her agility and skill with the twin short swords she favored.

Cye kept strictly to the business at hand. He couldn't think about facing another near-human being. He could not.

"We need to get rid of these soldiers," Halo called over the din of clashing steel.

"I agree!" Strata replied, rehoming his next arrow through the eye socket of an enemy behind Cye.

"Yeah!" Torrent replied with forced enthusiasm in an effort to cover the strong hesitation behind it. His footing wavered, and he lost balance. He saw an enemy spearman charging, leveling the wicked weapon even with his body. Saw, and could do nothing. His mental equilibrium was lost to turmoil, and fear gripped him as the weapon made for piercing armor came in line with his heart. A blur of green flashed in front of him and sparks from the meeting of metal to metal danced before his eyes as Sage connected first to turn the blow and disarm, then swiped mightily with both hands on the large sword, delivering a fatal blow. He then pivoted to face something behind Cye's field of vision and thrust the blade forward. Two more tried to take him from behind but they fell forward. Golden arrows sprung eloquently from their backs.

"You okay?" Halo asked, offering Torrent a hand to his feet.

"I'm alright, thanks to you,"Cye took the proffered hand and stood, surprised and dismayed to find only a handful of enemy soldiers left. He bravely grasped his trident and met them, side by side with Strata and Halo.

As Cye dispatched the last one, Hardrock came flying through the air with a cry and smashed through a cabin wall with a fearful thud.

Sure he would be alright from previous experience, the three turned their efforts to Ryo and Kayura.

Wildfire moved quickly to block the warlord's flurry of attacks, but he couldn't match her speed and ferocity. She sliced him twice across the chest of his armor, then kicked him viciously in the face, sending him sprawling on his back.

With a sound of triumph she dashed forward to finish the job, but at the last moment her twin sabers were deflected by a perfectly shot arrow. Recovering, she tried again, but Halo was standing between her and Wildfire. Deflecting another arrow, she engaged the warrior of Light.

Sage kept her busy, allowing time for the others to move into better striking positions and keeping her from further injuring their leader while he began to struggle to his feet. Cye moved unnoticed behind her, and when her swords were locked with Sage's, came running to drive the trident into her and finish it. Sage saw, and while a small part of him willed Torrent on, the greater part cried out, begging Cye not to do it.

Just as he came to the final steps, Cye's face became contorted in a massive contradiction of feelings, and in his confusion, stopped. Halo's focus was on Cye, and his own heart and mind argued. Kayura took her opportunity. Taking advantage of his slow reaction time, she broke the stalemate and dodged away from his heavier weapon, then came in slashing from the side. Dropping him, she turned to Torrent who fell easily. Strata and the Star Swords met in a dazzling flash of intent, but she bested him as well.

As Rowen was flung towards Kento, Ryo finally gained his feet again. "We need the White Armor!" He shouted through clenched teeth.

"You're right," Kento groaned as he knelt beside Rowen. "C'mon buddy, Ryo needs us!"

"If it must be done," the dark blue warrior replied, his Brooklyn accent much thicker than usual.

Sage heard, and his armor began to respond, but his heart rebelled. His mind was beginning to triumph in the conflict when Cye cried out, "No! Ryo, please don't!"

"What do you mean 'no'? Cye, we gotta do it, we have to defeat her!"

"I can't kill anyone else!" Cye screamed.

Kayura, watching them in amusement, giggled. "You're cute," she said to the light blue warrior. "Maybe I should put you out of your misery first." She started to walk over to him casually.

"We gotta do it, Cye! C'mon, we can't take her like this!" Kento called in frustration.

Sage understood. He knew that Cye abhorred violence. That he fought beside them still was something Sage had always admired about the young man. He saw the innocent, gentle spirit in the young man, and right then, though he didn't know it, something fell into place inside him. Cye should never have to kill. Never, ever again. None of them should.

"Don't be an idiot, Cye!" Ryo yelled as he tried to come between Kayura and Torrent. "I'm trying to save you!"

"Leave him alone!" Sage growled, simultaneously leaping to cut a gash in the warlord's unprotected arm. It was unclear to whom he was speaking.

Kayura cried in pain and shock, moving away from the Ronins. Seeing the blood running down her arm, her eyes widened further, and with a threatening snarl retreated.

"What was that out there?" Ryo asked as they all sat in the broken living room of Mia's cabin. They were all bruised and cut, something they'd become used to in the past month. So strange it was, how this war had become their life. "You know we can't win this if we're not united!"

Cye's head was hung, and he was resting his arms on his knees. They were all dressed in the under armor of their suits. "I'm sorry," he said, sounding drained and exhausted. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me." He sighed deeply. "I'll get it together next time."

"I hope so," Ryo said, still very angry. "Otherwise we might not all survive."

Cye's eyes became overly moist.

"That's more than enough, Ryo," Sage said, with an unconscious toss of his hair. "Cye's doing all he can." He almost added, 'we all are', but somewhere in there was a lie.

"Yeah, Ryo," Rowen said from his spot on the couch. "Cye just needs some time. You know Saranbo's death was hard on him." His voice turned quiet. Sage could barely hear him. "It's hard on all of us."

"It's okay, Cye," Kento gave him a big thumbs up and a smile. "You'll be alright in no time!"

Cye tried to smile back. "Thanks, Kento. You're probably right."

"I don't see why this is such a problem," Ryo continued to storm. "They're evil, we were chosen to stop them! They won't stay down when they're beaten, so what else are we supposed to do besides beat them permanently!" A desperate tone slipped into his voice, choking him. In his agitation he punched the wall, leaving a large hole. "There's nothing else we can do!"

Rowen got up and touched his arm. "Calm down, Ryo. We know that." His voice was resigned, yet profoundly sad. "We know."

Sage left the room and went to the deck. As usual, the bodies of the soldier constructs had disintegrated, leaving little trace of their having been there. He breathed deeply of the fresh air. Bathed his face in the light that had not yet reached its zenith.

He had come to understand a few things. Kento would not be able to process the guilt. Eventually, it would fester and turn into uncontrollable anger, or a seething hatred. Irretrievable parts of Cye would be lost, and the rest of his life would be full of ghosts and nightmares if he continued on this path. He would, too, out of his loyalty and sense of duty. Rowen would cope, but he would never be the same, and the harder edges of his character would only be sharpened perhaps beyond curbing. Ryo? Sage sighed. He'd seen similar cases before. Sometimes, a good man gets put in a hard situation. He will deal with it out of responsibility, and sometimes he finds that it comes easily, killing. Being a good man, they hate what they see happening inside themselves, but push on, out of the selfless desire to help others. Eventually, the become deadened people, if they don't destroy themselves. He was afraid he saw it beginning in Ryo.

A strong gust of wind whipped his hair around and brought the scents from the forest nearby. He felt so attuned, so much a part of the living things around him, even though he found the expression of such things difficult.

And himself? A maple leaf drifted in front of him and he caught it in his hand gently and let his gaze wander over it and take it in. It was starting to turn color, and early indicator of the coming season. His other hand dropped to caress his sword hilt. He remembered the horrid feel of Saranbo's life slipping so quickly away, and then gone. To be honest, the guilt hung strong around his neck. He would not be unscathed. Far from it, but to what degree and how exactly he would be affected was hard to predict.

An eagle glided above the silver blue lake. In an instant, he dove towards its surface. Breaking his fall, he pulled up, grasping a large fish in his sharp talons. The hunter would eat today.

Sage watched him return victoriously to his nest and mate. Ryo was right. Something did have to be done. Sage of Halo wondered if he had the strength. But only for a moment. Soundlessly, he left to prepare himself, mentally and physically. He did not have much time.

They had lied, to themselves, and each other. They had not done all they could to stop the evil of Talpa and his Dynasty.

In a small, secluded glen, not far from the cabin, Sage began his meditation. Strengthened by his resolve, the clarity reached was a new experience for the young warrior. Yet it was some time before he could bring his heart and mind into agreement.

It was his intention to destroy the Warlords. His heart cried out against murder. He knew that next time, he himself would have to deliver the final blow. His heart quivered. Both were distressed by the certainty of his new beliefs.

Sage sat still, and quiet, allowing the conflicts within him to meet, to flow and ebb, and come together. He allowed his entire being to take in all feelings, all emotions, allowed them all to burn within him until all was consumed in a blinding blast of white fire. He was left with unity in spirit and heart and mind, and the warrior of Halo felt as if he had the sun itself burning inside him. He felt unstoppable.

He spent the remaining daylight with his nodachi, practicing the familiar movements again and again, bringing his body into alignment with his spirit. Mastering his sword as never before.

As the last of the day's colors lingered like a man's breath on a cold day, Sage left the glen. He was more tired, and more energized than he had ever felt before. His connection with the armor was more alive, stronger, as well. He knew he was ready.

* * *

Hello there everyone! So here we are, my first Ronin Warrior fan fiction. I had the idea sort of just come to mind, and I idly began penning it. After watching the show again, I realize that the characterization is a little off, but overall, I don't think it turned out too badly. Thank you so very much for taking the time to read my work! So, I've got to give this a try. ;) *Clears throat* Is Sage actually ready to take on the Dark Warlords? Can he possibly hope to stand against the Dynasty, alone? Find out at this same Ronin Warrior time, same Ronin Warrior channel!


	2. A Taste of Victory

Chapter 2

Sage slept deeply, and was completely refreshed when he woke. Dawn was a mere rumor the moon yet scoffed at. Sage's only concern was that Rowen would be awake, staring longingly at the stars that called to him mercilessly. It was why the warrior of Strata awoke late in the morning. The stars were what empowered him, and when they showed so clearly as they did this night, he could hardly resist their song.

As yet meeting no one, Sage crept to the kitchen and wrote a short note where it would easily be discovered by Mia or his brothers. He paused a moment at that, wondering when they had become family. He smiled. It didn't matter. He left through the door, as the others had put a crudely constructed patch on the wall, and closed it silently behind him.

All they would find of him in the morning were the words, "I got an emergency call. My family needs me. I don't know when I'll be back. I'll try to hurry, but you guys will be fine without me. Take care, Sage Date." Misleading, but it contained no true lies.

It was early morning when Sage came to the small town on the other side of the forest. Most people were not yet up, but they would be soon. He chose a sporty looking car that looked to have seen little use, and in its place left more then adequate compensation. His family's money came in useful sometimes.

From there he drove. Sage pushed the speed limit as much as he dared, and disregarded it when visibility and conditions allowed. His goal was a mountain range in the distance, and now that his resolve was strong and his purpose clear, he wanted nothing more than to do it. The strength within him screamed to be unleashed. He was unaware of it, but he had begun to emit a dim glow.

He could sense he was being followed. He knew it was one of Talpa's spies. Exactly what he needed. As soon as he reached the mountain, he would catch the spy, and send it back to the Dynasty. He had already decided who he would challenge first. He would destroy Sekhmet, the Warlord of Venom. He pushed the pedal down further.

He drove the sports car as far up the mountain as it could go, reflecting on the thought a rough terrain choice would have taken him much further. It was pushed aside, speed mattered too greatly. For a moment, he was concerned by his unusual lack of patience. But he was doing the right thing, and he didn't have more than a few days at most before the other Ronins caught on to him, or at least figured something was up.

He left the few food provisions he had borrowed from the cabin kitchen and most of the water in the convertible, leaving the cover up to better protect them. Slinging the lone canteen over his shoulder, Sage began the trek to the plateau-like top of the mountain, watching for a good spot to ambush the spy he still felt tracking him.

Find one he did, about half way up, but he decided to wait till he was closer to the top, to avoid being ambushed himself by the warlord to whom he would soon issue the challenge.

He continued to scale the short mountainside easily. His lungs were strong, averting any ill effects from the higher altitude. Besides, he'd spent a lot of time mastering heights like these as a boy.

Finally, he located a suitable niche in the mountain, slightly behind a large rock. It created enough of a space to conceal him, without looking like a hiding spot from below or someone passing by swiftly. The sort of trail he was following bent sharply around a large collection of rocks. Looking down, as if he was catching his breath, he saw the shadow that darted so quickly behind cover. With a smirk and a quick move of his own, Sage slipped into the hiding space. Keeping his breathing quiet, he listened for the slight sounds that would signal the approach of his prey.

He did not have to wait long. The spy was armored, and though his step was light and swift, it clanged dully against the stony ground.

The spy, not wanting to to lose sight of his target and believing the warrior to have run up and around the bend, did not pause to allow himself more than a cursory glance at his surroundings. His surprise was extreme when something caught his feet and sent him face first onto the stony path. He twisted in panic to get away, but when he turned over he saw the warrior standing over him. With a snarl he began to scramble away. The spy wasn't fast enough. Sage's hand gripped him by the throat and slammed him bodily into the side of the mountain. His other hand brought his sword to the spy's throat, positioned to kill. The spy stopped struggling, his eyes locked in fear onto the reflective edge of that menacing blade. "Spare me," he pleaded, his voice quivering.

"On one condition," the blond young man said. "You go to Sekhmet, tell him I have issued him a challenge. Tell him to meet me on the top of this mountain, and that I'll be alone." His eyes were steel, their unusual lavender gray color enhanced by the faint glow. "You've been following me long enough to know it's true." He released the spy. "I will only wait for half an hour. If he does not come to meet me alone, then I will know the Dynasty Warlords are cowards."

Terrified, the spy ran back down the mountainside. He did not look back. Sage watched till he was satisfied the spy would do as he'd said, then he climbed the last hundred meters to the top. Now he had only to wait. There was no doubt the Warlord of Venom would accept the challenge.

* * *

The large room was fittingly dark, with a perfectly evil misty quality pervading through all, though especially prominent at its perimeter. The effect seemed to make the already large room stretch into a twisted infinity. The darkness was grudgingly punctuated by blue-flamed torches. More blue fire lined the far side of the room in two rows, breaking in the middle to reveal the giant, disembodied head of Talpa, his face a permanent grotesque mask.

As usual, the four remaining Warlords, after Anubis' betrayal, were standing idly about the room, eyeing each other in disdain. Lady Kayura looked especially irate, still suffering her peers' mockery at her recently failed mission. Seeing a fresh opportunity at her expense, each of the three of them were eagerly attempting to gain favor with their dark lord.

It was into this room the spy slunk. He didn't want to be here. The warlords and Talpa were far from lenient at best when it came to a minion of his status, and he dreaded the consequences when it was revealed that he'd been captured by the enemy.

Talpa was the first to notice him. Though the evil overlord did none of his own work, not much escaped his notice. "What news do you bring me?" the gruesome face demanded in a voice graveled by age and harsh words.

The spy crawled towards him, cowering under the cruel stare of his master. "The one in the armor of Halo has left the others, Master Talpa, and seems to be alone."

"Perhaps they are trying to provoke another attack," Talpa mused. "Or their foolishness is exploring its lack of boundary."

"There is more," the spy said, shaking in his boots. "He has issued a personal challenge to Sekhmet!" Finishing with a guiding finger.

"Sage of Halo has challenged me?" Sekhment laughed venomously. "What a foolish boy!" He turned to Talpa. "Let me meet this arrogant armor bearer in battle, Master Talpa, and show him the full cost of his bravado."

"You may go," the Lord of Evil replied. "But you had better not disappoint me again against this single boy."

"Why did he not challenge me?" Cale, Warlord of Darkness complained. "I would have the most satisfaction extinguishing the Warrior of Light."

"Perhaps your consistent failures on the battlefield leave him in contempt of your lack of power," Dais said. "He should have challenged me instead, as I am the strongest."

"What about me?" Lady Kyura said angrily. "I have come the closest to defeating them all!"

"Don't make me laugh," Cale said, laughing anyway. "Have you so quickly forgotten you were recently defeated by him?"

"Enough!" Talpa bellowed, tired of their bickering, and with another question of his own. "You," he said, clearly meaning the spy that was skulking at the edges of perception. "How do you know Halo issued the challenge?"

Talpa always knew when one of his constructs lied, it was said. The spy ran to grovel at his face. "He tricked me, Master! He caught me and made me promise to deliver the message! It won't happen again," he promised. "Have mercy!"

"He detected you?" Talpa's scowl deepened past its usual boundaries. "Then you have failed your duties. Direct Sekhmet to Halo, then report for recycling. Perhaps your next incarnation will prove more useful."

"Ye-yes, Master," the spy stammered. The construct scurried out of the room in shame, too horrified at his fate to care at the moment whether the Warlord of Venom followed. If he had turned to look, he would have seen Sekhmet trailing him with a self assured eagerness that would be difficult to rival. No doubts of victory brought a falter to his stride.

* * *

Sekhment stepped foot on the mountain top. The red front of his armor borrowed nature's warning signal. He was poisonous. The deadly green of his armor seemed like the great body of a man eating python, though he did not look scaled. Fangs slipped from his mask, and red flaming plumes crowned his head. What really caught attention was the venomous expression so hostile in his eyes, bringing the whole into one, cold-blooded, serpentine fear. He could have been the very inspiration for the instinctual fear humans had for their reptilian predators.

Sage was in his armor, sitting with his back to the warlord. The clouds had sunk, leaving the sun and sky alone to witness the upcoming battle. The top being a plateau, it looked as if its desolate surface was the only feature in the world, as the clouds roiled below in breathtaking expanse. There was nothing here that could be destroyed by Sekhmet's poisonous touch, the reason it had been selected as the battleground.

"How lovely," Sekhmet said with a sneer, advancing. "Quite a dramatic backdrop for your death."

"For a death," Sage replied quietly, standing and turning, his hand upon his sword hilt. "But not mine."

Sekhment had seen determination in those eyes before, but now there was something else, as well, and the sun seemed to be reflecting very brightly off his armor. He was not worried. What was one where five were insufficient? "You sound so serious, Halo. You aren't going to tell me to give up my evil ways and walk away?" He stopped a few meters short of the challenger. "Or have you dropped those silly morals?"

"There will be no choices for you today, but I retain my guiding beliefs." Sage drew the nodachi and held it forward with both hands. "I will not be corrupted by your serpent tongue, so draw your weapons."

"I like you this way," Sekhmet said, unsheathing his own swords. "I might only take you prisoner if you stay this amusing!" With that, he lunged.

Sage parried the blows easily enough, but couldn't seem to find an opening for a returning blow. Sekhmet's mocking voice was a constant, and where his blades missed, the rock face was scored, the edges of the cuts continued to hiss and steam from the withering effect of the warlord's weapons.

Taking a calculated risk, Sage stepped backwards, inviting his opponent in, then went low, shifting his momentum forward. Sekhmet swung high, and Sage came up under his defenses, slicing the warlord across the waist and moving past him. Blood seeped freely from the wound, and when Sage met his enemy's eyes, the fury was almost frightening. Sekhmet gathered his strength to unleash the special power unique to his armor. "Snake Fang Strike!" He roared as he released the ability upon his young foe. Chaining the six swords he carried into a whip, he cracked it against Halo, sending him flying towards the edge.

The blow knocked the wind out of Sage, but he managed to stick his sword into the mountaintop to stop himself from rolling off the sheer cliff. He struggled to catch his breath and regain his footing.

Sekhmet advanced on him menacingly. "Now," he said between clenched teeth. "I'm going to kill you, boy." And he brought a sword down with both hands to split the young man in half.

With a surge of adrenaline Sage brought his sword up and rose, thrusting with his powerful legs. Surprised, Sekhmet's blade glanced off of Halo's shoulder, and the Warlord of Venom slumped forward. Sage retracted his sword from his opponent's body, and Sekhmet fell to the ground. Sage rolled him onto his back, wary of a last attack. The warlord was chuckling. "What's so funny?" Sage asked, standing over him. Strangely, he felt strong and invigorated, even as he fought the urge to help the dying man.

"I see now," Sekhmet wheezed, and blood spilled over his lips. "I wonder, Sage of Halo," and he looked him in the eyes as the light drained from his own. "What will you do when it gets your brothers?" He laughed again. "By killing me, you've sealed your own fate." His chuckle turned into a wracking choke as that last breath of life escaped into the unconfined space beyond him. Sage stood in the sun, bewildered, the glow around him strengthening.

A bright light shimmered around Sekhmet's body, obscuring it from sight for several moments. Sage watched in fascination as the light expired. Sitting atop Sekhmet's robed body was now a small box. Sage knew the armor was inside.

A slight hissing sound reminded his that the warlord's poisoned blade had scratched his armored shoulder. Sage grabbed the canteen he'd brought with him and rinsed the vile substance off. He then used the rest to wash the blood off his sword. Task completed, he dismissed his armor and picked up the body of his slain enemy, to carry him off the mountain and bury it at the base. He made sure to bring the box, as well.

He buried him quickly, then paused, wondering if he should say something. The urge to hurry was as strong as it had been before, but still. It was early afternoon. He face the grave, above which he had carved an S. "I don't know if you were always evil. It's hard to imagine anyone as being evil from the time they were children." He tilted his face to the sun. "I don't know what drove you to be the man I knew, but I hope you find peace, now that you cannot further corrupt your own heart."

Sage climbed into the sports car, and got back on the road. It had been easier than he had thought. One down, three to go. His heart surged with power at the thought of another battle. He could hardly wait to finish the job.

* * *

"What?!" Talpa's voice, marred by shock rebounded through the otherwise silent room. The warlords were not bickering. For the moment they simply stared at the messenger, aghast at his unprecedented news.

"He failed, against one, lone, boy?" Talpa's voice conveyed his anger clearly. If he was saddened by the loss of his general, it did not show, unless the proof lay hidden in his rage.

"Master Talpa-" Cale began to say, but the fires roared to greater life and leapt, crackling fiercely, towards the high ceiling.

"This is your fault!" Talpa yelled. "He was your opponent. If you had killed him before, then this would not have happened!"

Cale staggered backwards, stunned. The others stayed silent. The fires began to quiet again.

"Kayura," Talpa spoke again. "Kill Halo!"

"O-of course, Master Talpa, as you command," she stammered. With a hasty bow, she left the room, throwing Cale a look of contemptuous victory.

The look she got in return made her quicken her steps and drop eye contact.

* * *

My apologies to the Sekhmet fans, but someone had to go first. Sage has scored a victory against the Dynasty, but can he do it again? Next, Sage battles a demon, and loses!


	3. Trojan Armor

Chapter 3

Rowen stirred beneath the warm gaze of the sun, peeking through the curtains of his room. Sleep could not be longer held on to, and with a soft, goodbye caress, left him lying awake. It was nearly noon. Sitting up, he looked thoughtfully out the window. With a roll of his shoulder he rubbed his neck and climbed out from under the sheets, spurred on by the smell of bacon and eggs.

Dressed, and his blue hair secured in his equally blue bandana, he went downstairs. He called out a cheerful, "Good morning, guys," upon entering the main room.

"Always just in time," Cye said, putting the last eggs onto a plate. He looked slightly troubled. As did Ryo, who was staring at the patched wall. He must have been lost in thought, since he didn't respond.

"Finally!" Kento cried. "Now we can eat!" His eyes strayed to something on the kitchen counter.

"Is this about Sage being gone?" Rowen asked, walking over to read the note, but referring to everyone's distraction.

"You knew?" Cye looked surprised.

"Yeah," Rowen answered, reading the note written in Sage's graceful, stately style. "I saw him leave early this morning. He seemed to be in a hurry."

Ryo was suddenly standing in the doorway. "I can't believe he left. He knows it takes all of us. What would be so important that he'd abandon our fight, even temporarily?"

"Hey!" Kento said sharply. "Sage wouldn't abandon us, Ryo, he's not like that."

"We don't actually know that we know him," Ryo growled. "None of us have known each other for very long. Maybe he quit because he couldn't stomach it," he finished quietly.

"No!" Cye yelled. "Sage wouldn't do that! None of us would!" He looked genuinely angry, an uncommon expression for the young warrior. "Besides, he said he'd be back, and I trust that he will."

Rowen put a calming hand on Ryo's shoulder. "I know you're worried, Ryo. I know you're frustrated, and maybe a little bit afraid, like the rest of us. As our leader, a lot of responsibility rests on your shoulders, and things have happened lately to put lots of strain on us all. I know that sometimes we're not as strong as you want us to be, but none of us would ever turn our backs." He removed his hand, but continued on in his strong Brooklyn accent. "You're right when you say we haven't known each other for long, but with what we've been through together, we know each other well. Better than most people know the ones they call friends or family, even though we don't know everything about each other. Whatever Sage had to leave to do is important, but he will be back. He has faith that we'll be okay. We should have faith in him, too."

For a long, tense moment, no one said anything. Kento and Cye stared at Ryo and Rowen, waiting. Finally, Ryo let out a long breath, and Rowen noticed his fists unclench.

"Sorry, guys," Ryo said. "I've just been having such, such thoughts lately, and I get scared I'll lose control, that I'll have to do things I don't want to. I feel like a jerk." He sighed. "I know Sage won't betray us, but I hope he gets back soon."

Cye smiled at him. "It's okay, Ryo. We understand." Putting on his best Japanese accent, which clashed badly with his English one, he said, "Now lets have some breakfast everybody."

"Oh, Cye," Ryo rolled his eyes. "Don't do that again!"

Kento was already heaping a plate full, with Rowen close behind. Cye laughed, happy that an unseen storm had blown over.

At the end of breakfast, Ryo said, "We should try to fix that wall better before Mia sees this place. She'll have a fit."

Kento sighed. "One way or another, those Dynasty dudes make a lot of work for us."

Cye said, "They sure d-"

A shiver ran through all the Ronins at once, stopping Cye short and bringing fresh alarm to their faces.

"Did you guys feel that?" Ryo asked, looking each of them over.

"Yeah," they answered together.

"What was that?" Kento asked. "Is the Dynasty here?"

"It didn't feel like that," Cye answered, confused. "It felt a little bit like," he paused.

"Like Sage," Rowen finished for him. "It felt like Sage."

Shouts of speculation began to fill the room, debate, and calls for action. Rowen closed his ears to them and thought, focused on Sage, his expressions and mannerisms from the last few days, on the note. Sage never really talked about his family, and it was Rowen's impression that he was not close to them. Also, while Sage may very well have had a cell phone, he'd never seen it, and no one had been aware of any messages for their blond brother. He'd been troubled, they all had, but he'd also been studying the rest of them quietly, much as Rowen himself had done. Then yesterday, after the battle, he had looked particularly contemplative. Most of them had been in bed when Sage got back after disappearing, though Cye had seen him in his favorite glen. When he left his morning, his stride had been focused and purposeful. Rowen believed he knew what Sage was doing. And he knew why. He looked at the anxiety on Cye's face. His still innocent face, through which his kind soul shone clearly. He knew. But should he tell the others? He didn't see how Sage could possibly survive his self appointed task, but he rarely did anything without serious thought and consideration. It was clear he didn't want them to know what he was up to, because that would defeat the purpose. Yet could Rowen hold his tongue, and allow his friend to face slaughter at the hands of a pitiless enemy? That feeling hadn't been Sage's death. Rowen was sure the death of one of them would be felt as a rending anguish. That had felt like, and his mind searched for the right word. Triumph. He suddenly realized the others were looking at him.

"You know something, don't you, Rowen?" Ryo asked, fastening his eyes on the blue warrior's.

Rowen swallowed. What should he say?

"Rowen?" Cye echoed, uncertainly.

Who would he be betraying?

"Come on man!" Kento said.

_Have faith._ His own words came back to him. Normally very logical, Rowen followed his heart, reluctantly admitting, in a dark, secret place, that it would be a relief. He forced a smile. "Sage is fine," he said. "If he wasn't, we would have felt something else entirely."

"Then what was that?" Ryo persisted.

"I don't really know," Rowen said, edging the boundaries of truth.

"Could he be captured?" Cye asked, gripping the edge of the table.

"If he is, we'll break in and free him, kicking some serious tail!" Kento brought his fists together.

"I don't think its anything like that," Rowen said truthfully. "Maybe he did what it was he had to do, simple as that."

They glanced around at each other, not wanting to mistake a brother in need, willing to be the first by his side. Eventually, feeling nothing further, they again sat down. Sunlight pried through the cracks in their temporary wall, probing the uneasy cloud in which they breathed.

"You sure, Rowen?"

"I'm sure, Ryo."

* * *

Sage sped along the quiet highway. He wondered if he should have stayed on the mountain, but he didn't want to stay in one place for too long. It was a possibility Rowen or one of the others could find him if he did, which was not acceptable. Also, he didn't know if he could take all of the Warlords on that plateau. He doubted they would all come for him at once, but if they did, he needed different terrain. He couldn't beat them if they could come at him so easily from any side.

He wondered who would come for him. He reminded himself it was possible more than one would be hungry for bloody vengeance, though they had never seemed inclined to strategize like that in the past. But then, the game had changed. Still, he became certain Cale would come for his life. The Warlord of Darkness had always had an obsession for him, which Sage realized he shared. Light and Darkness were opposites after all, and one could not survive where the other tread. Yes, it would be Cale. It would not be an easy fight, but he was sure he could win.

The fields flashed by, a continuous blur, as the sun began to recline. Sage could feel, as much as see the light retreating. He never suffered ill effects from the absence of the sun, but it was like being taken off a battery charger, and he suddenly knew they would strike at night.

Seeing forest begin again up ahead, he hurried for the shelter of the trees. He would like to rest, if possible, and the noise of the dead and drying leaves and twigs would easily alert him to the presence of his enemies. Sage almost wished the others were with him. The strength of their bond had carried each of them through pain, injury, and daunted spirits. The Ancient One had taught them to fight together. Alone, Sage felt their absence strongly, though had missed them surprisingly little during the battle with Sekhmet. He wondered briefly if there was a reason the Ancient had told them to fight together, when he had found such strength alone. He shied away from the thought, picturing instead what it would be like to have the others there right now. Kento's annoying pranks, Cye's happy smile, Ryo pretending to be above it all, and Rowen joining in when opportunity presented. He knew they sometimes thought he didn't approve, because of his reserved nature, but sometime, maybe he'd tell them he had come to rely on it all. He had reached the trees.

Driving the sports car as far off the road as he dared, Sage took some of the food and water with him, carefully stowing the box containing Sekhmet's armor in a little spot under the hood. He regretted he couldn't hide it better, but it was superior to leaving it under a seat, and he didn't want it to fall back into the Dynasty's hands.

He trekked deeper into the woods, till he found a suitable spot. Scattering twigs and branches around the perimeter of the small clearing, Sage hummed an old battle song to himself. His mother said the family had taken it up during the time of the Samurai, among which their ancestors had become nobles and were established as honorable. Neither of which had changed drastically in the intervening centuries, though Sage had his own opinions on the latter, which went strongly against public perception.

He then constructed a crude blind against the base of the largest tree. Satisfied it looked a good attempt at camouflage, he climbed up a tree opposite. It was sturdy enough to keep him from being too uncomfortable in his armor. He was high enough he could still catch the last few minutes of the sunset as it steadily retired, trading its vibrant robes for the cloak of darkness.

Though he knew the sun never slept, and was merely orbited by the Earth, Sage found it hard not to see it as a mighty being who, while abundant, generous, and powerful to near-limitless extremes, must also rest and regenerate. Or perhaps the brilliance of its incredible strength would never be dimmed if not for the quietly whispering Night, who slowly took control, murmuring reassurances as it sent the Light hurtling out of place. Something about the comparison made him uneasy, though exactly what he did not know. It was not the time for contemplation, however, and with the sun gone the Dynasty could strike at any moment. He had not lost his focus or attunement,

and while his mind and body felt indefatigable, he knew resting at least one while he had the chance was the wise course of action. He could not afford to be caught off-guard by the enemy, so his body it would be.

It only took a few minutes for him to complete the process he had long been perfecting. Relaxing his mind and body and slowing his breathing brought tranquility and a sense of peace. Wading deeper and deeper into the sensation, he pictured floating his body on a bed of pure light in an undefined room of rejuvenation. Picturing leaving it there, he walked his mind out of the room and back to the waking world, so that his mind and senses were full alert, and his body would be fresh and ready when he needed it. By being passive, his mind was also was also receiving rest, and he knew neither would fail him from experience. He could go several days without sleep with this technique, without his performance taking a heavy toll, if need be.

Using it in place of true sleep for extended periods of time often required a long period of rest afterward, especially for his mind. But it was needed now. Sage was kneeled in the tree, under a red moon, waiting for a dawn that would be long coming.

Sometime after midnight, a twig snapped. Sage aimed his attention at the noise, but did not move. There had been several false alarms already as animals had wandered through the clearing in search of sustenance. But this was no herd of deer checking his blind.

Many feet tried clumsily to walk stealthily across the forest floor. With such heavy metal bodies, Talpa's constructs had no hope of succeeding. Slowly, cautiously, Sage tilted his head to better observe their movements. He counted at least a score, hearing others he could not see. Their focus was on his blind. His diversion had worked. He could see Kayura in the middle of the clearing, signaling her men to surround the unoccupied camouflaged spot. She looked tense. Sage was surprised, and a little dismayed. She was the last warlord he had wanted to see. Sage did not want to kill a woman. He didn't want to be able to do something like that. Perhaps he could convince her to shed the armor and leave. Soon, there would be no Dynasty to return to, and without her armor, she wouldn't be much of a threat. Still, she may not choose to accept his offer. Something cold seized his heart. If she chose death, then his mission would not be swayed. He would do whatever it took, and woman or not, no one would stop him. Amidst their own noise, none below heard him rise to his feet and position himself.

With her constructs arranged, Lady Kayura brought her arm down as the signal to attack. Weapons pierced the blind and a great roar filled the night. As Kayura brought her arm down, so did Sage leap from the tree. The moon reflected off his armor and was caught on his blade as he fell with a battle cry.

Halo destroyed two constructs by landing on them, literally crushing them beneath his feet. He swiped the one closest on his left across the chest, stabbed the one turning in front of him, and beheaded the one on his right with a graceful spin. They were the only ones he caught by surprise.

"There you are!" The Warlord hissed. The she shouted, "Kill him!" Something her soldiers needed little goading to attempt.

Sage was swarmed, but he kept his back to the tree, fending and dispatching valiantly until two of the enemy cut it down, trying to pin him under it.

Alerted by its aching groans, Sage spun to the side, and with an arm strengthened by the mystical armor, pushed it to land atop his foes instead.

A second wave of foot soldiers burst from their reserve positions in the woods, joined by the female warlord. Sage was pushed to the middle of the clearing and assaulted on all sides.

Every enemy Halo destroyed made Sage feel stronger, but there were too many for him to protect himself under the conditions. He blocked, thrust, parried, redirected, and swung fluidly, but he could not guard every direction at once. Soon, there were scratches in his armor, an occasional cut or gash where Kayura or some lucky lackey had gotten under his guard. It seemed she had brought an entire army against him. Between the soldiers pressing upon him, and the bodies of their comrades piling up, Sage became in danger of losing his footing.

Kayura's third string had joined the fray minutes ago, and Halo was convinced they were the last of her forces. It was time. He was filled with a strange and wild glee at thought of what came next. Embracing the true strength of Halo, gathering his energy, Sage leapt into the air. Electric light crackled and arched around him, imbuing his sword and dancing furiously around the young warrior. Kayura turned and ran, not wanting to be caught by Halo's unique attack. She had seen it before.

Sage had never felt more powerful as gravity called him back to the ground, propelled by his own energy. "Thunder Bolt Cut!" he cried as he made landfall and punctuated the moment by slamming his sword into the ground. The energy was unleashed, obliterating all who had previously stood against him. The blast flattened the woods immediately around him, and the sound bled into silence.

Searching the bodies, Halo saw that Kayura was not among the fallen. He was unaware of the uncharacteristic twist to his lips as he went to find her. All the creatures of the woods had either fled or gone silent, making it easy for Sage to hear her rapid breathing, and the clink of her armor as she ran. The Warlord must have been knocked down by the blast. She was near.

Sage caught up with her, and could immediately see she was wounded. He tried to tell her to give up, surrender, and he'd let her live, but his voice was knocked aside. He stopped, confused, and tried again, but met the same bewildering resistance.

Seeing her chance, Lady Kayura unleashed her special power. "Starscream Sword," she snarled like the wounded animal she was, and took to the night sky, drawing extra strength from the clear light of the hard stars. Star-like lights swirled around her in a sparkling nimbus, then burst radiantly from her, pelting the ground below with deadly force.

Sage, in his rising panic over his sudden lack of control, did not react quickly enough to avoid getting hit. He lost his footing, and, unable to find shelter was brutally battered. His response was to draw more from the armor, merge himself further with it, but a dawning realization made him cringe away from Halo with horror. Finally, on the edge of losing consciousness, it seemed the only way to survive, and he grasped again for that power.

The Warlord descended. She bled, and limped from her wounds, but she was sure she could not return to Talpa unless it was with Sage's head in her hands. Halo lay unmoving, but she walked no less cautiously. Almost timidly, she prodded him with a sword. No response. Relief flooded over her, as well as returning confidence as she realized what she had done. Raising the sword to sever the noble head, she cried, "I am the strongest!" and brought the blade down surely.

Halo rolled out from beneath the strike, the tip of her sword just catching the edge of his helmet. He struggled to his feet as she watched, horrified. All of her confidence and most of her courage deserted her, when he took first one step, then another with an intent that she could not attribute to Sage. He was still close enough she could easily attack him, but there was death in his walk, and she knew it would be hers if she did not flee. Yes, flee, back to Talpa, back to the warlords! She turned to run, and with choking terror heard Sage's abnormally heavy step speed up behind her.

She made it a dozen meters, but she suddenly fell forward, with such shock on her face as it had never known. She hit the ruined ground hard. Kayura knew Halo stood above her, but she tried frantically to crawl away, anything to get away.

Halo grabbed her by her hair and pulled her up as she gasped from the pain. From the air like this, she could see why she had fallen. She no longer had legs below the knees. A sense of surrealism took hold of her, even as Sage slammed her against a still standing tree. Sage of Halo couldn't possibly be capable of this, none of the Ronins were. Where had he gained such brutality and power? Piercing pain brought her back to her senses with a scream, and she realized Halo had pinned her to the tree by driving her own sais that she carried through her shoulders. She saw he had one of her Starlight swords as well. "Halo!" she cried, tears of fear running down her smooth face. "Don't do this. Just let me go. I swear I'll quit the Dynasty, I'll leave the country! You can can have my armor, or anything you want, but please," she begged. "Please don't kill me. Sage, spare me!"

He drove the sword through her heart. Under the red moon and cold stars, Sage crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

Oddly, it was about in here that I really started to connect with the story, and with Sage. I had mostly been doodling, writing it as much for my sister as for something to do, but after this, I started taking a more personal interest. I know Ryo is acting like a big jerk, but he's got his reasons. Truth is, I don't really like Ryo, so when I started this, I was perfectly fine with him coming across as nasty and harsh, even encouraging it. But later, he just didn't seem to want to be like that, so I begrudgingly ended up allowing himself to be whatever it was he seemed to want to be. Also, I know it's odd to use the metric measurements, since I'm living here in the USofA, but I figured it all took place over there, so I decided to change things from feet to meters and so on. It was close enough. And I really have to credit both of my younger sisters for all of their help with this. When I'd talk about it, or read it to them, I got all kinds of helpful corrections. Everything from, "that happened in the first season", to "Rowen's bandana is blue, not red". I guess I didn't pay very good attention the first time I watched the show. Thanks girls! And thank you guys for continuing on and reading! ... Sage has struck two blows against the Dynasty, but a terrible truth and a dead woman may change it all! What does this mean for our hero? Does it spell doom for his mission?


	4. An Unbidden Cry

Chapter 4

It was mid morning when Sage woke. Despite the warmth of the sun on his face he felt cold and weak. He couldn't remember where he was for a moment, or why it was so hard to move. Sitting up painfully, he looked around. What he saw almost made him sick to his stomach. He turned his head away from Kayura's body.

The whole night came back to him in vivid clarity. Right up until he cornered Lady Kayura. There it got a little hazy, but he could remember feeling helpless as he'd watched first hand what he'd done to her. Fresh horror engulfed him as the memory of her last moments rang clear through the haze, and he did become sick. How could he have allowed it to happen? How could he _do_ such a thing to another living being, even an evil and vicious Warlord? And she hadn't even been the worst of them. He had to get away, he had to find somewhere to hide while he sorted everything out. He couldn't stay here, under her still pleading, dead eyes.

He stood to leave, but instantly became dizzy and his head swam, forcing him back to the ground, breathing hard. He discerned a loss of blood, and the sudden movement made several of his wounds bleed afresh. He hated to use anything remotely related to his armor right now, but he had to use its unique gift of healing to repair himself. He wouldn't get far otherwise. Drawing even a little of the power he held made him shudder and churned his stomach, but Sage healed the worst of his wounds, and regained enough strength to stand, but it left him weary.

The ground he stood on was pock-marked from the Warlord's attack, and much of the flora had been destroyed, but Sage knew he had left his own scars not far away. Still no birds chirped, sharpening the point of devastation to acute poignancy.

He wanted just to leave, but the armor Lady Kayura wore lay in a box at the ground below her white robed body. Lay on a bloodstained ground, where her feet should have been. Sage tried to focus only on the box as he approached it, but he couldn't close his eye to the whole picture, or the unnaturally rusty-red, damp ground his target sat so callously on. He was glad he let his hair grow over one eye, but that didn't lessen the truth.

He picked the box up with one hand, and rising back up, accidentally looked at her face. Her dull, blue eyes seemed to lock onto his exposed silver-violet one. The tears had dried but it was plain to see where they had trailed down her face when it had still been warm and alive. Her skin had of course paled, and was beginning to take on the sallow gray tone of true death. His mind reminded him in cruel detail how she'd looked as she begged him for her life, and he heard again her plea. _Sage, spare me_, she had asked, terrorized but with a glimmer of hope. He turned away and walked slowly back to his car. He knew he should bury her, but he couldn't bring himself to touch her.

Sage got back on the road and began to drive. He didn't know where he was going. At the moment, he didn't know much at all. Beside him sat two small boxes, and his eyes were far, far away.

He was still numb when he reached the caves at dusk. This was where Ryo had found him after they had all been dispersed, back towards when the five of them met up for the first time. This was where his armor was from, and despite that, Sage could feel a certain peace. He blinked when he realized where he was. He didn't remember getting here, but he could understand why. He also realized he was parched, and drank some water. Feeling slightly refreshed, he took the bed roll out of the back of the sports car and laid it out in front of the cave by the small stream. The running water made him think of Cye which was comforting, but the first stars brought someone other than Rowen to mind. He was too exhausted to stay awake long, and he soon succumbed to a deep, troubled sleep.

Dais and Cale quietly waited for Kayura's return, both pretending to not cast worried looks at the other. Talpa kept his silence as well, though the increasing intensity of the blue fires betrayed his rising impatience.

It was concerning, being the only two present. One confirmed dead and each passing moment bearing more doubt for the other. Had this ever happened before? Cale wondered. The answer was no. They were the original warlords. He, Dais, and Sekhmet had all had the privilege of first serving Talpa as his elite generals. Then had joined Anubis, and most recently, Kayura. None had been slain. Until that brash rogue had dared to smite the Warlord of Venom. Cale hated him. It did not matter if the corruption was slowly needling into the human's will, he would not allow the boy to continue in this bold impudence.

Dais considered how this affected the master scheme. Surely the Warrior of Light had gone further than they had hoped for. Perhaps it really would happen, as that traitor Anubis had suggested. It was surprising, he thought, that it was Sage who was crossing their feeble lines, and not one of the others. His personal bet had been on the one called Cye, the bearer of Torrent. He smiled to himself. If this one, one of stoutest fortitude, was quickest to stoop, it may be soon the others would follow. He frowned. Of course, it had become Talpa's wish to have him eliminated. Foolishness to risk it all. What was one, where five were to be gained? And room for one more besides? The long term contingency would still be viable, but it was a poor waste of a good specimen.

On the other hand, strange as it was, he saw it may be best to quickly fulfill Talpa's orders. The Ronin had killed Sekhmet, and Kayura was overdue. If his might did in truth surpass their own, and he persisted in his determined path, it would be advisable to assure their own existence. He was not as quick as the others to be blind to the possibility of having grown too complacent and sure of their own strength. He was not as quick to dismiss the potential of their own danger.

Footsteps echoed out of the perpetual gloom and another spy construct came up to Talpa, bearing something wrapped in cloth. Without a word, and kneeling respectfully at Talpa's head, he unwrapped the package, baring Kayura's severed legs to view.

The Warlords uncrossed their arms in surprise. They had not been expecting dismemberment. For another long moment, Talpa said nothing, but the fires continued to grow, until suddenly they broke their confines with a consumate roar, engulfing and destroying the spy and his package. As the fire exploded, Talpa roared with it. "Halo!"

Dais and Cale raised their arms to shield their faces from the heat, stepping backwards instinctively.

"You two!" Talpa said, no less furious. "Destroy him! I don't care what it takes, I want that Ronin Warrior dead! Do you hear me? Dead!"

"Yes, Master Talpa," They said in unison. Dais walked out of the room.

"It will be done," Cale's eyes promised as much as his words. Then he too left Talpa's wrathful presence.

Dais was waiting for him outside of the room. "We must plan carefully," he said, falling into step beside Cale. "Apparently the young warrior is actually quite dangerous."

"He must have unlocked the secret." Cale said darkly. Then grimly pleased. "He must be beginning to understand. If this is an example of what he's capable of, he must be disgusted with himself. I hope it is every bit of the anguish he caused Kayura. And Sekhmet." His smile promised vengeance.

Rowen padded quietly through the still house. He paused on his way through the living room to admire the work they'd done on the the previously broken wall. It had been fun, the four of them working together to build a new one. They had cut down a tree and made it into logs, then used their strengths to plaster the chinks between. Cye and Kento had made the mud and applied it, and Ryo had dried it in place. Rowen had directed, making sure everything was as straight and in order as possible, using eyes that had become well adjusted to making such judgments.

A smile, and he slipped outside, climbing easily to the roof with young, strong muscles. Tonight he was restless. Usually, it was only the stars sparkling teasingly that stole his sleep, but tonight Sage was on his mind, and an odd weight on his conscience. It was still true, a part of him was relieved by the thought he would not have to bear responsibility for putting the Warlords down. But the thought of his friend, his brother, facing them alone, however strong he was, was not right. It was too heavy a burden for Sage to bear alone. It was terrifyingly possible he would be destroyed, meeting a merciless fate at cruel hands.

Then again, he had chosen to do it himself. He had made the decision to fight the battle alone, to spare the others. It was a situation of his own creation.

Rowen sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The whole thing was just so confusing. They were supposed to be strongest together, and he could see why. None of them had known each other beforehand, so it could be thought random that they were the ones selected. Deceitful appearances.

Each of them went far towards a larger whole, as if they were part of a larger being. There was strong, valiant Kento, who would obviously be the heart. He himself would represent the mind, and Sage would be the soul. Cye was the innocence that kept them together, and prevented them from plunging into abyssal depths of darkness. Ryo, since their purpose was an offensive unit, was the striking arm. It was anything but coincidence. Though even with that, they seemed to have accomplished little beyond their own survival.

His brow furrowed, and he reached a hand for the stars. The five of them usually had great difficulty in forcing a single Warlord in retreat. Could Sage really do it? Could one succeed where five could not? Had it all been simple hesitation on their parts? And if he did, what would he be like when he returned?

He tracked a shooting star with his midnight blue eyes, absently longing to tread its course. It felt so _wrong_ to leave Sage out there, alone. But how could he change it? He couldn't very well explain leaving, especially not when Sage already had. The others would become too suspicious, and would try to follow. Rowen didn't want Cye to have to be further involved, either, and Ryo was beginning to worry him. He'd been acting very aggressive lately. What would he, or any of them do if they found out what Sage was up to? Kento would go charging right off to help, that was for sure. Cye would not hesitate to back him up, and Ryo would be too glad to fight. They wouldn't stay if he told them, and they would follow if he didn't.

"What am I supposed to do?" He asked aloud, of no one, frustration gilding the question.

"What do you mean?" A voice asked next to him.

Rowen jumped to standing, surprised by the voice, though he knew it well. "Cye!" _When did he get here?_ "What are you doing here?"

Cye rolled to a sitting position. He too had been staring at the stars. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd join you." His soft accent blended with the serenity of the night, calming. "You were pretty lost in thought. I didn't mean to startle you."

Rowen sat back down next to him. He couldn't face him at the moment, he was too distracted, and Cye was perceptive.

"That's okay," he said, trying to sound normal. He didn't know what else to say. The silence stretched.

"What did you mean?" Cye finally asked, snapping that silence.

"Not much," Rowen lied. "It's these stars, ya know?"

"Mm," Cye murmured vaguely.

"What about you?" Rowen asked. "Why couldn't you sleep?"

"Nothing much," Cye glanced at him, and Rowen knew the young Brit didn't believe him. Cye turned back to the night sky. "Something just feels wrong. I can't put my finger on it, but it's making me uneasy."

"I think everyone's feeling it. We're probably just not used to Sage being gone. But I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"Could be, but I don't think so. We've been separated before, but it's never felt like this. I hope he is."

It was well after midnight. Both young men's minds were busy, though one was largely occupied with wondering what the other was thinking. Time passed in a waiting quiet.

Until an echo washed through the night, breaking upon the cliffs of the Ronin's consciousness, then fading back to stillness. Rowen's breath caught with its potency. The panic, the agony, were his for a brief moment. He had to find Sage, he had to help him! He leapt to his feet, but Cye caught his arm in a surprisingly strong grip. He forced Rowen to look at him.

"What is the truth?" He demanded.

Kento and Ryo could be heard below, concern and confusion expressed loudly in their sleep muddled questions.

Rowen found he could not escape Cye's unwavering gaze. _Sage_...


	5. The Price of Blood

Chapter 5

Sage woke to the familiar warmth and comfort of the touch of the sun, and tried to blink the night's images away. His sleep had not been restful, full of nightmares forged of his own bloody hands, and haunted by Kayura's screams.

He crawled out of the bed roll and wobbled the short steps to the stream, dropping heavily to his knees at its bank. He stared into the water. His reflection was distorted and constantly whisked away by the happily murmuring current, leaving him vague and lacking in definition. He thought it couldn't have been more accurate.

Sage splashed a hand angrily at it, ruining the image of his face. But even as his hand lay in the stream, it came back, undaunted and unopposable. He knew there was meaning in that somewhere, but at the moment he could see little of that nature

More gently, he put his other hand in the clear water. He drank, then splashed the cold water on his face. It felt good. It felt pure, and clean, and he was overcome by the need for it. He bathed in it, relishing the cold as it cleansed and purified, then dried in the sun. He did not think. He allowed only his senses to bombard his mind. The feel of the sun, the smell of the grass by the bank, and heard the brook. Smelled the faint dank air of the caves. The implacable stones. Birds. Breathed.

Dried, and partially restored, he dressed and retrieved some food from the sports car. He had spread it on the ground in front of him, and was about to eat when he felt a presence. Familiar and welcome. Even though it reminded him of his shame. He stood to greet his visitor. "Hello, Ancient One," he said, bowing low.

"Good morning, Sage," Anubis answered, moving to stand in front of the young man. His staff rang with each step, its tone one of mystery and knowledge.

Sage gestured. "Would you dine with me?"

"Of course," the other answered and settled himself on the ground.

They ate in silence. When they had finished, Sage cleaned the few utensils and returned them to the sports car. He paused for a long moment. He almost didn't want to face the Ancient One, and it would be difficult to discuss this horrible situation. He let his breath out. But he did need to talk about what was happening, had happened. He needed advice, badly. If it was some form of punishment he had coming, instead, then well, avoiding it accomplished nothing. Besides, it wouldn't be undeserved. It wasn't as if he was innocent, anymore.

Anubis was waiting for him. Sage sat across from him, cross-legged, and waited for the older man to speak.

"You seem troubled, young warrior. Your spirit is out of balance."

It might have been odd to expect him to know already, exactly what was causing the turmoil, but it seemed almost laughable that he would say something so generic.

Sage thought for a short moment on how best to answer. "I found a great strength," he began, the beginning the only fitting place to tell the short story. "And I made a decision. The five of us recently killed the Dynasty lord who went by the name Saranbo. This had taken a heavy toll on the others." He corrected himself. "On all of us. Seeing what it did to them, I couldn't allow it to happen again. So I left, at least until I complete my mission," he almost added, _If I survive that long,_ but those words didn't come. "I used my new strength, and with it I took Sekhmet's life. Afterwards, Lady Kayura came for me." His posture slackened for just a moment, and a raw edge came to his voice against his control. "I didn't want to kill her, I tried not to," Pain welled deeply in his exposed eye. "But somehow, I lost control. I-" his voice broke, and he lost eye contact with Anubis. He did not cry, and soon regained his composure. The other man calmly watched him. "I managed to defeat the army she brought with her. But when I tried to talk to Kayura, I couldn't. When she ran, I cut her legs off, and I pinned her to a tree with her own weapons, before driving her sword through her heart. I didn't want to do any of it, but it seemed beyond my will. She begged, but I couldn't stop myself." He searched deep into the other man's eyes, looking for answers, hoping for understanding. Perhaps seeking ablution. "I think it was the armor. No, I am convinced of it. I can believe myself capable of killing a man, but I would rather have done anything than kill a woman. I won't be like _him!_" He said vehemently, and his voice echoed through the caves. He continued, his voice stressed, but moderate. "I don't understand. And I can't quit now, I'm halfway there. I can still save my friends. But if I cannot trust my armor, what am I to do?"

The breeze stirred, playing with Sage's golden hair and rustling Anubis' robes. He had closed his eyes for the moment, thinking. The young man's plight was very serious. "A hard situation you've found yourself in," He opened his eyes, but they were still lost to the past, at some convergence between his own memories and the inherited knowledge of the Ancient One. "You have discovered what makes Talpa's Warlords as powerful as they are. It is something I succumbed to, a path I hope you will not follow.

"A very long time ago, the armors you and your friends use to fight the Dynasty, as well as the armors the Warlords utilize, were all united against Talpa.

Sage's eyes widened, and questions formed, but he held his tongue, allowing the Ancient One to continue.

"There was a battle, and it looked as if Talpa had again been driven for Earth by the Nine Armors, but he had not left. When the warriors had dropped their guard, he stole the armors, intending to destroy them. But he could not destroy what was good. He did, however, manage to taint their purity," His eyes saddened, and an old pain brought a bitter twist to his mouth. "I was in the group that pushed into Talpa's realm to retrieve the armors. Several of my friends were killed, and we were only able to take back six of the nine. Talpa kept the other three. We escaped, but it turned out to be at a worse cost than we at first thought. In our arrogance, we could not believe possible what happened next," He glanced at Sage. "Though you, I'm sure, have already guessed. Cale, Sekhmet, and Dais, Talpa's favored generals, were given the armors. We were, disheartened, to see our own instruments, the weapons of dead friends, used by the enemy. At first, they were not as strong, but after weeks, and then months of cruelty and violence, they became more powerful than we had ever imagined for potential." Anubis' voice became slightly quieter, and he looked unsure how to feel. Sage knew he was hearing a store never told before, that this was extremely personal for the other man. "I lost faith, and became angry. I began to hunt his forces, which were not all comprised of his empty foot soldiers as they almost exclusively are now. The more I fought, the stronger I became. I did not realize what was happening to me. I did not have your wisdom at the time, Sage. My gin was Loyalty, and in doing what I did, I broke that loyalty. First to myself, and then to my friends. I became corrupted, and joined Talpa's ranks, taking my armor with me." His eyes met Sage's. "Perhaps because they saw what happened to me, perhaps they had the strongest gin, my former allies managed to defeat us, and avoid my fate, as has been done in the centuries since. Still, Talpa's dominion of this world hangs in a bare balance, and I fear the thread has weakened." He paused and drank some water.

Sage continued to wait patiently. He had doubted Anubis when first he had assumed the role of the Ancient One, after his predecessor had sacrificed himself for them, but he had proven himself, and Sage knew was receiving only the truth as the other man saw it. It was a fascinating story.

"While this is old history, it relates to you, young warrior," He set his hands in front of him as in demonstration. "With the knowledge vested in me, and my first hand experiences, I can explain this to you.

With the corruption from Talpa's tainted touch, violence," and he pointed at Sage. "Especially violence done with strong intent, and even more specifically intent to kill, brings out the darkness. It worms into your mind and heart, twisting them around until you wouldn't be able to recognize yourself. It becomes almost exponentially more powerful. The interesting thing is that I am convinced if one can keep ahold of their virtue, without losing themselves, they would become ultimately powerful. To tread the balance is perhaps the most dangerous and frightening thing one can do, but as you've seen for yourself, it rewards the daring with bloody dividends. As is the way of war.

I believe this is the situation you've placed yourself in. Your motives remain true, based on observations born of wisdom, preserving your personal virtue, yet you have opened yourself almost fully to the hidden dark power within your armor. This is why you have survived thus far, this is why you won, and why you lost control, leaving you in a precarious position, my young friend. The more you use that armor, the more it grows to control you in its thirst for blood." Anubis finished, his eyes on the young man in front of him, waiting to see what he would say on the matter. Praying his virtue would guide him to a safe course.

Sage digested everything he had been told. Some of it confirmed the dismaying convictions he had formed, the rest shone light on a dangerous, endless circle he came so close to following. A circle that would not have doomed only him. Each piece came together, and his eyes widened as implication upon implication made itself clear, and with a hopelessness he had not conceived in himself he burst out, "Then there is no winning!"

Anubis bowed his head in what may have been acquiescence. "To permanently retrieve the armor, and stop the generals is now a task that puts one in grave risk of turning into a vile machination of evil himself. To pursue a stalemate is to risk a critical weakness that may one day be our world's undoing. Until Talpa himself is vanquished, you are correct, Sage, but getting there is not easy."

"We thought we had him once already," he agreed. He did not put his head in his hands, but he might as well have from the tone of his voice when he continued. "Then what am I supposed to do, Ancient One? If this taint is a poison that will spread to my brothers," several thoughts flashed through his mind, making him pause. He remembered the look in Ryo's eyes, and his aggressiveness. He heard Sekhmet say, W_hat will you do when it gets your brothers?_ "My brothers," he felt panic, trapped. It was beginning to manifest in them. But he had already succumbed to it once. "If it is already working within them, then what is the best thing to do? And with the taint in the armor of Halo so strong, then we couldn't risk forming the White Armor, could we? I'm alone."

Anubis, who had, as a Warlord, always begrudgingly admired the young man for his stalwart confidence and unwavering spirit was slightly shaken by the lack of it now. He wanted to comfort the boy, but he could not afford to baby him, not with so very much at stake.

"Sage," he said more gently than he'd intended. "Do not lose your faith or your courage. These are difficult questions, which require difficult answers. Whatever solution is reached,it will have consequences that will have to be faced. This is where you must make the choices. Once you have decided on a course of action, I suggest you do not look back."

Sage straightened slightly, and took a deep breath. He was a little ashamed at losing his self control. He needed to be stronger, had always been stronger. "What do you recommend I do?"

"I will tell you what I think, and I will tell you what I see," Anubis did not like being obtuse, but he had come to understand the world was shaped by the choices of those in it. He was not God, and to tell someone what to do, or tell them what decision to make was outside his jurisdiction, unless under more specific circumstances. He could give advice, and help others make informed decisions. Besides, he knew in his heart exactly what Sage would do. "If you return to your brothers, and allow them to fight with you, your armor's accelerated corruption may very well speed up what is working within them. Also, I know you are afraid of what will happen to them if they continue to kill. You must allow others to make their own decisions, Sage. If you continue your course, you may lose yourself. You could turn on your brothers and the entire world. You are strong, but what you would have to do to withstand the combined assault of Cale and Dais might overwhelm and consume you. That is what I think." He took a breath. "What I see is that you are still determined to spare your friends. I see your experiences have not yet turned you selfish. But I caution you to do what is wisest, even if it conflicts with what you want most. You have a heavy responsibility, Sage, with hard demands, but you must remember there is more at stake than your friends and yourself only," He hesitated before finishing. "They are looking for you now. I could take you to the others, if you desire it."

"I believe I need to meditate," Sage replied. He did need to figure everything out. He needed to be alone. He didn't want to see them, not yet, not now. Maybe later.

Anubis stood, grasping the staff. "Then I will leave you to it," he began walking away. "If you need me, call, and I will come. You are never alone." The staff rang with its unique, melodious clarity as the Ancient One walked into the woods.

Sage watched him go. He felt he was again running low on time. He too was convinced Cale and Dais would work together against him. They wouldn't leave him long to himself.

He sipped some water, then moved to sit closer to the stream, its chortling harmony a naturally soothing cadence that helped ease his mind into its deeper state. His consciousness blossomed into being, and he saw himself seated peacefully by the water. The full sun felt good even here, and he stayed for several minutes, enjoying the tranquility. But it was not where he needed to be.

Away from the birds and the tress, far from the cave and its meaning, Sage traveled. Down leaf covered trails, and over stone bridges. He did not take the paths that constantly presented themselves, did not wander into memories, or some of his favorite places. He walked past large houses and hidden temples, walked until all images faded, and he had come to the door. In his hands were four sticks of incense and a candle, and he was now dressed in a white towel. Shifting the candle to his other hand, he opened the door.

Steam greeted him, welcoming and cleansing as he crossed the threshold. He breathed deeply of the warm, damp air, and was relaxed. In the middle of the room was an incense burner and a cushioned mat. Sage settled on the mat, placing the incense on either side of him and the now lit candle to his right. The conflict of sustaining fire and the sauna had never bothered or distracted him. Rather their opposite nature created a space of balance, and it was here Sage went when he was faced with his most difficult situations.

He considered before choosing a stick, then set it in the intricately carved burner, lighting it with his mind. The smell wafted pleasantly into the air, then was diffused by the moisture throughout the room, keeping the scent subtle, but present. It was not, however, the focus of the exercise. This stick represented Rowen, Ryo, Kento, and Cye, and as it burned it seemed to conjure them so Sage could communicate and examine. He felt a surge of brotherly love as their familiar faces formed, and they were sitting around the room with him, the depth of which was always disguised by his quiet and reserved disposition. He knew, just as with his mother, grandfather, and a very few others , he would do anything for them.

"Hi, Sage!" Cye smiled first. He always seemed to be happy about something. It was never annoying, actually quite endearing. He loved him for it. Such a light should never be extinguished.

"Yo man! What's up?" That was Kento of course, very outgoing and protective. Partially because he had four younger siblings back home that he would die for in a heartbeat, and live for in half of one. Sage knew he saw the rest of them as extended family, and held them just as closely. What would happen if he were to die in this war?

"Hey, Sage, seems a bit early, don't you think?" He winked, talking with that strange Brooklyn accent. Rowen was even more intelligent than Sage, but he would never make a big deal out of it. Though he was sometimes harder to understand than the others, it would have been hard to find anyone more dedicated and willing. From some of the things he'd said, and others he hadn't, Sage suspected he had a troubled family life, and that the four of them were almost all he had in the world. It wouldn't be fair if all he knew were war and strife. He deserved to find more in life.

"Sage, what's going on?" Ryo. Sage respected his selflessness and courage, and of course loved him as a brother. Yet there was something about him. An incautiousness that sometimes bordered arrogance, and a dangerous undertone that was effectively overwritten by a character trained to be strong. Still, Sage knew that Ryo would give everything he had to stop the Dynasty, and his best to them all. Whether or not he struggled with a darker nature, his actions had always spoken well of him. He needed the opportunity to find his balance, without being tugged and torn by the burdens he'd shouldered.

He smiled at their greetings. "I just wanted to talk."

"Well go ahead man," Kento said loudly. "We're all ears!"

"About what we're doing, and what we should do," Sage continued. He knew it was not actually the others he was talking to, only his representations of them, but the process still helped. "I think we need to make sure the Dynasty's defeat is final, which means killing Talpa and the Warlords. But I am concerned about how that would affect everyone. My first question is, how do you think you would feel if you were to kill, or help kill the Warlords?"

Ryo answered first. Sage didn't think he even noticed Cye turn pale. "It's gotta be done, and when it comes to saving the Earth from those tin cans, the ends justifies the means." He was so sure of himself.

It was silent for several moments before Kento spoke up with his usual energy. "They've killed lots of us over time, I say it sounds like justice!" Conflict in those boyish eyes, with several years yet to maturity.

"They do need to be stopped," Rowen agreed, looking resigned to something unpreferred. "I don't see how else they're going to leave us alone. And we're the ones who got these armors, which seems to be the only way to fight them. I guess it's our responsibility."

Sage looked over at Cye, who seemed to be struggling to find words. "Be honest, Cye, please."

"I don't want to," the young man said suddenly, looking ashamed of himself for it. "I wish there was another way, but if there's not, then I'll do everything I can to help get rid of them. They can't be allowed to keep hurting people."

Sage nodded. "My second question is, would you do it, even if you knew it would destroy you? Would you do it if it might turn you into one of them?"

Ryo snorted. "That's impossible. We'll never be like them. I'd rather not die, but if it gets rid of them, then I guess it would be worth it."

Rowen looked as uneasy as the rest of them. "What do you mean, turn us into one of them? Do you really think we would serve Talpa?"

"Not willingly," Sage closed his eyes. "Take my word for it, you can do monstrous things without serving him. Killing them might make you do it, too."

"So you're saying we might only be trading one evil for another, and that we would be that evil?" Rowen asked.

"Yes."

"You're wrong," Cye said with simple sincerity. "I believe in you guys, and myself. We would not become that. I trust you, I trust what I've seen." His blue eyes shone without doubt. "We will not become monsters."

Sage was sure he couldn't say that if he knew, if he could see, what Sage had already done. He couldn't tell them, he would never be able to bring himself to explain to them why he knew the looming doom hanging over their unknowing heads.

"Yeah," Kento said, standing up. "Cye's right. We can get through anything, as long as we're together."

"I can't be so sure," Sage murmured.

"Why do you ask?" Rowen queried.

"I'm trying to make a decision," Sage answered, then reached to snuff out the incense. Their images faded away. He set the stick back next to him and reached for the next. He lit it, and waited, closing his eyes and opening his ears.

Slowly, a picture formed around him, given substance from the scent of the incense but built by the sounds of the world. It slowly grew from whispers to a roiling cacophony of human voices. Sage frowned in concentration. Finally, he could begin picking out individual voices, focusing on those within Talpa's reach of influence. The suffering, wailing for the lost, the terror were almost overwhelming, but Sage persevered, listening to as many voices as he could distinguish.

There, a man tried to fight back and defend his family, and was cut down. Here, a woman sobbed over the wreckage of a home, with acute grief. Sage did not want to know why. A child ran away from the metal monsters, screaming hysterically. A military tank full of brave men overrun by Talpa's foot soldiers. He heard desperately whispered prayers for protection, and others mocking the rumors of destruction. Until the dark gates opened above them, and death and ruination fell upon them all.

Gasping, Sage snatched the incense off the burner and snuffed it out. The screaming and the tears echoed slowly out of existence. There had been laughter, and there had been joy, but the tears on Sage's cheeks were not for them, and he had to take many steadying breaths. He set his eyes to the flickering flame of the candle, and let its gentle warmth and light soothe him.

Now he could move on to the next. He hesitated before lighting it. Even in here, he reflected, he dared not fight the armor, if it did indeed grow stronger through conflict. The last stick had taxed his strength, and he needed it just as much for this. It would have to do. He lit the incense.

The Armor of Halo appeared across from him, kneeling as well, a mirror of Sage's position. It's expression seemed to mock him, and it felt alien. Empty sockets viewed him with contempt, yet he could hear it whispering to him, calling him to take it and use it as it so desired. Sage did not let himself be distracted or moved, instead looking deeper. Passively probing the taint that was now so prominent. There. He saw the glow, the good, righteous core that was unbreakable, even if it was starving. He reached to touch it, but Halo knocked his hand away angrily.

The feeling flared in Sage as well, and retaliation tingled in his palms. He mastered himself, and released the emotion, allowing it to slip away into the steam. He focused again on the glow, trying to thread his consciousness into it, entwining and strengthening. The smell of the incense and his own sweat was the lifeline to his mind. Sage centered his concentration on this glow, and soon found the veins running from it throughout the entire suit. They were small, and they felt fragile, but they pulsed in their course with an undeniable presence.

He began to lose himself in the flow, enraptured by the pure light that he felt inseparable from. But the darkness pushed against him, and the rest of the armor tried to evict him, even as it sang ever more alluringly. It was suffocating. Sage became disoriented, lost between the push and pull, tumbling through the rapids of another's entity. Something bumped against him, and he caught it with a hand. Relief engulfed him as he recognized the thin tendril of jasmine, and he crawled along it until he was back to himself. He took the incense out with a shaking hand, and lay on the floor panting. The smell of jasmine still clung sweetly to the air, for which Sage had never been more grateful. He shuddered as he wondered what would have happened to him if he had not come out. He felt so alone, and for the first time since he'd left, he wished the others were there with him. But they weren't. The candle was burning, and he was not yet finished.

It was an effort to pick himself up off the floor, but he again took his place before the burner. He picked up the final stick and placed it.

"Hello, Sage," he greeted himself, bowing.

"Hello," he returned, bowing as well. "You don't normally summon me, what is it you need to speak with me about?"

"This situation, the armor, what is happening to me. I normally know my own feelings well, but I am finding a great amount of confusion."

"I see," he said, inclining his head. "But you must keep in mind I am a reflection, and though the image may be true, the perception of which may be skewed."

"Of course," Sage agreed. "When I think about carrying on with this on my own, I almost feel overwhelmed with the enormity of the task, but when I consider bringing the others into this, especially with what I know now, I fear for them, and I am torn between desperately wanting their support, and dreading for them a fate worse than death."

He stared back, unblinking. "I'm afraid I won't be strong enough to ward off the effects of my armor. I fear I will fall, and hurt my brothers. That I'll fail to destroy the Warlords, fail to stay in control. I am tempted to think that I cannot do it without them, because of what I've been told. I do not think I could face it if they suffered the full effect of Talpa's taint."

Sage frowned. "I have always relied on my strength, I have always been strong. I have never," _honesty._ "Until now, been afraid of myself."

"But I am," he said, with a slight toss of his blond hair. Sage wondered how often he actually did that. "And that is the crux of the issue."

"I have to stop fearing myself before I can truly accomplish anything," Sage's brow creased. "But does that mean I shouldn't be afraid?"

"I did not say that," he said. "It is a point of grave concern. Halo is very powerful, and I do not know if I am strong enough to resist its influence. Perhaps the question is, though, can I withstand it long enough?"

"If I could do this quickly, then maybe I can avoid the worst of it."

His own purple gray eyes locked on his. "Or I might burn up all the faster, and then endanger everything I want to protect.

"I do not know how strong I am."

"Neither do I," he smiled. "I'm feeling many things, but I know if I believe in myself, whichever way I choose, I will make the best of it."

Sage smiled back. "Yeah." He put the incense out, but left it in the burner. The candle was burning low now, but he thought he had time yet. Grabbing the other three sticks, he added them to the first, and lit them all.


	6. On the Scent

Chapter 6

"Do you think it's?" Kento asked, standing with Ryo and Rowen at the base of the mountain.

"Yeah, I think so," Ryo rose from his crouch by the turned earth and carved initial. "There was talk about strange sounds and activity up here the same day Sage left."

"It is Sekhmet," Cye finished his descent from the plateau with a graceful leap. "The ground is all sliced up there, and I'd recognize the mark he leaves anywhere."

"Looks like Sage left one of his own," Ryo remarked, looking again at the S.

Rowen didn't say anything. He hadn't since he told them what was really going on, and stood a little apart from them now. He knew Ryo, and the others probably, still were angry with him.

"There was blood up there, too, but I don't know whose it is," Cye added quietly.

"So we know he got Sekhmet, but where did he go from here?" Kento wondered, looking around.

Ryo turned to Rowen. "Do you know?" He asked sharply.

"I already told you what I know," he responded flatly.

Cye stepped between them as the air began to crackle. "Come on, guys," he said lightly, looking at Ryo. "What's done is done. Now we just gotta catch up to him, right?"

After a moment Ryo shrugged a shoulder. "Right."

"Hey guys!" Kento called.

They hadn't seen him leave. They all walked over to the Jeep.

"There were more reports of strange things going down in the Hishegaru area!" he said excitedly, pointing at the radio.

"Then let's go!" Cye climbed in. Without a word, Ryo and Rowen followed.

The drive was made in a silence that the radio could not cure. Kento fidgeted, and it was clear Cye wanted to say something, but Rowen's indifferent attitude and Ryo's unnecessarily tight grip on the wheel squelched any effort at meaningful conversation.

Finally, Ryo asked something. "Did it say where in the Hishegaru area?"

At the signaling inhalation, Kento and Cye had turned eagerly, but leaned back in their seats again in disappointment. "Nah, not really. There's not many people that go through there. Somewhere around kilometer 89."

Another half hour passed, the tension slowly growing. The terrain changed from rocky hills to flat fields and large river beds, back to verdant woods.

"Here!" Rowen said suddenly, jerking up from staring broodingly out the window.

Ryo hit the brakes, bringing the Jeep to a jarring halt. Rowen jumped out of the car as soon as it was safe, but waited for the others before running off.

"What is it?" Cye asked, coming up next to him.

"Something feels wrong, and it's in the right area," he noted Ryo and Kento joining them, and began to head in the direction his senses had singled out.

They sped through the woods, following the faint impression of the tracks still impressed in the earth, then further, until they came to an unnatural opening in the thick trees. Debris was scattered to the edges from the force, and the ground was bared and scarred.

"That's from the Thunderbolt Cut," Ryo said, and the others nodded their agreement.

His gut unsatisfied, Rowen went to the side and stooped to examine the ground.

Kento had followed. "Bloodstains!" He shouted to the others, then followed the blue haired young man again. The others came running to his call.

They caught up to them in a place where the woods had again been brutally wounded. Here, smaller vegetation was shredded, and more solid objects were riddled in charred, crippling holes.

"Lady Kayura," Cye whispered. "Sage wouldn't actually have killed her, would he?"

"No man," Kento replied quietly. Then less sure. "At least, I don't think so."

"What's so wrong with it," Ryo growled. "When she was trying to kill him?"

Rowen said nothing. The epicenter of misgiving had not yet been reached. He was growing afraid of what they'd find. He knew Sage would never want to kill a woman, no matter how wicked she was. What if Sage had hesitated at a crucial moment? What if he had misunderstood the feelings that had assaulted them all, and Sage's body was actually out here somewhere, and the Warlords were only waiting for them to find it and become demoralized before attacking them? He knew they would find out. The Warlords would not have the courtesy to bury his friend. Again leading the way, with the others following, he walked on.

He noted an even darker, larger set of stains close by. Whose? He followed intently for a meter, then looked up. He stumbled backwards a step in shock. Kento stopped next to him, speechless.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Cye asked anxiously from behind, as he couldn't yet see. He stepped around. He turned right and ran back, past Rowen, past Ryo, and retched.

Ryo looked for himself. His eyes widened. "Did Sage?"

"Yeah," Rowen answered slowly, still staring. Lady Kayura was pinned like a rare specimen by a five year old. Unpreserved, and incomplete. He didn't understand. He couldn't comprehend. Sage couldn't possible be capable of something so monstrous. Something else must be at work.

Kento moved forward.

"What are you doing?" Ryo asked.

"We can't leave her like this," the Chinese boy answered. "It's not right."

Ryo stepped to cut him off. "Maybe she deserves this. Think of all the people she's helped kill. She didn't care, maybe we shouldn't either."

Cye joined Kento. "I'll help you," His face was drawn and pale, but he met Ryo's stare coolly.

"I'm your leader," Ryo snapped, glaring at the two of them. "You shouldn't be questioning me like this!"

"I've had enough!" Rowen growled, and when Ryo turned to face him, threw a punch to his jawbone. Not nearly as hard as he could have, but hard enough to let him know he meant it.

Surprised, Ryo was knocked to the ground by the blow. Rowen continued to talk as he regained his feet.

"You may be the leader, yes, but we're a team. You can't just push us around, tell us to do what we feel is wrong, and condemn us for not seeing things your way. It's a responsibility, not a free ticket to god status!" Why was he _this_ angry? Why had it felt so good to hit him? Why was he so eager to do it again?

Ryo was standing now, and he wiped a hand across his jaw. There was a glint in his eye. "I dare you to do that again, Yankee punk."

Rowen grinned back, and threw a round house kick. Ryo dodged, and threw his weight behind his shoulder, plowing into the leaner lad and taking them both to the ground. He tried to punch the other's face, but Rowen grabbed his hands, and tried to roll to put himself on top. Neither of them heard Cye and Kento yelling at them, so intent were they on the struggle.

"I said knock it off!" Kento grabbed Ryo and bodily pulled him off.

Rowen jumped athletically to his feet and lunged at his leader, but Cye stepped in front of him and braced, stopping his momentum.

"Just stop it!" he cried.

Rowen ceased trying to get past him, and in another moment shook his head, taking a step back amidst the fallen leaves. The fire seemed to die in Ryo's eyes, and he shrugged out of Kento's loosened grip.

"What would we have done a week ago?" Cye asked, still standing between them. His eyes were watery, and his voice was strained. "If we had found her," he pointed to Kayura's body. "Like this a week ago, would we have fought like this, over whether or not to show some decency? Would fists have flown over a question of integrity?" He looked at Ryo, who was looking abashed. "You're not acting like yourself, Ryo. It's not like you to be this way, bossing everybody around, being angry all the time, and treating situations like this." To Rowen. "And you've been sullen, and secretive. I know you believe you have good reasons, but you're not usually so withdrawn." He wiped his eyes. "All I know is, ever since Sage left, and even before, nothing's been right. And I just don't know why. I don't know how," he lost control. "How he could-"

Kento ran over, and wrapped Cye up in a big bear hug. "It's okay, buddy. I gotcha, man."

"What's wrong with us?" Cye's voice was muffled by Kento's arms and his own tears.

Ryo let out a long breath. "Sorry, Rowen, I guess I don't know what came over me."

"Yeah," Rowen said, in truth unsure how to feel. For some reason he still wanted to throw a punch. Why? "Me, too. Something sure isn't right. I just wish I knew what."

Kento nodded towards the tree. "Something's wrong with Sage, too."

Ryo frowned. "He's turning into a monster."

Rowen looked sideways at him. "Maybe we all are."

Cye sniffed one last time, and withdrew from Kento's kind embrace, flashing him a grateful smile. "Let's take care of her."

All four Ronins went to Kayura's tree and to work releasing her body from its fatal bonds. They then dug a grave and placed her in it. In the spring, the blossoms would flow from the tree she was carried under, allowing whatever left of good in her to fly freely, and never be bound to earth again. Into its bark, after the others had left, Ryo carved a K. He felt right, and knew they had done a good thing.

When he got back to the Jeep, he could hear the others engaged in a civilized disagreement.

"No," Rowen said, his accent an immutable mark of his presence. "It's not just because Sage left. We've all been separated before, and we've never had anything like this happen."

"Then what's so different this time?" Kento asked, sitting with his back against a rock.

"What's different is that he's actually killing the Warlords," Rowen said, sounding annoyed at having to state the obvious. "But I don't see how that connects."

"Is Sage affecting us, or is this something we all would face eventually?" Cye wondered, leaning against the Jeep, his auburn head turned thoughtfully to the sky.

"Good question," Rowen said pacing, trying furiously to understand and piece it all together. "We are all connected, to a degree, after all, but without more knowledge, its hard to say."

"Or maybe Sage is actually a psycho, and even he didn't know it until he started this," Ryo chimed in, leaning against a tree. Cye looked shocked and hurt. Kento looked angry, and Rowen just stared at him, expressionless. Ryo said almost apologetically. "I'm not saying it to be mean, or that I believe it, so just relax you guys. I'm not getting on his case just because, it's just an angle no one's put out yet. I'm in control now."

Rowen threw his hands in the air, and exclaimed, "That's the key word in this whole mess! Sage wouldn't have done that to anyone if he was in control of himself, I'm sure of it!"

"But when it comes to himself, Sage is like a total control freak," Kento added. "He hardly even lets himself smile and laugh with us."

"Maybe we're supposed to all be together so that something like this doesn't happen, maybe it's just too much for one person alone," Ryo. "The Ancient One always tells us to stick together."

"Then how is Sage powerful enough to take these guys on by himself?" Rowen asked, frustration tinging his voice. "How is he able to beat them alone, when all of us can barely hold our own against one of them?"

"It must not be easy for him," Cye said, reflecting on the echoes of feelings alien to him.

"If we can't figure it out and stop it, it might get to all of us," Rowen was agitated.

"He shouldn't have gone off by himself," Cye said quietly. "We should have done it together."

Rowen rounded on him with an unexpected heat in his voice. "He's doing this for you, Cye, and for all of us, but especially you! So how dare you criticize him!"

Cye stood up straighter, anger sharpening his tone. "Well I didn't ask him to! Maybe I don't want to sit on the sidelines to be babied! I know what we're up against and what it means for the whole world, just as well as you do, Rowen, and the rest of you! It's not easy for me, but I understand my part, and I'm willing to do it, so stop acting as if I'm so fragile! I'm here to protect, not be protected." He went on, distinctly. "I would never want any of you to get hurt or worse for my sake." He stepped back. "None of you have any idea how it makes me feel to be coddled like some pet or infant, when I am just as old and responsible for myself as the rest of you."

"Cye," Kento said gently. "We never meant for any of that, buddy."

"I know," was the Englishman's response. "But that doesn't change much. And now Sage is out there, alone, and who knows in what kind of trouble, and it's all my fault."

"As you want others to value your choices and decisions, young warrior, so must you learn to accept and respect the decisions of others." With the staff ringing to each step taken, Anubis joined them.

"The Ancient One!" Ryo was caught by surprise.

"Where's Sage?" Kento asked, leaping to his feet.

"What's going on? How do we fix it?" Rowen asked, glad to see him.

"Is Sage okay?" Cye queried eagerly.

"So many questions," Anubis sighed. "Apparently I have work to do here, as well."

"What do you mean?" Kento pushed. "Have you seen Sage?"

"I talked with him at length very recently," The Ancient One answered, sitting on the ground. The four young men quickly joined him. "But he does not wish to speak with you, or for you to know how to find him."

"He's okay," Cye whispered to himself in relief. The others burst out with more questions, but the Ancient One waved them to silence.

"Let me tell you a story," he said. "There will then be time for more organized discussion, and I believe it will answer many of your questions."

They quieted to listen as Anubis told them the same history he had revealed to Sage, only this time it was punctuated with questions. He answered them with a patience he had long thought himself incapable of, before assuming the mantle of the Ancient One. By the time he finished, the others were looking at him and each other with a sense of doom and uncertainty.

"So that's why Sage went nuts," Kento said. He looked at his own hands and shuddered.

"And why Ryo's been so aggressive, and I hit him," Rowen observed.

"But Kento and I haven't been acting that way, why?" Cye pondered.

"It has been ever so slowly eating away at all of you, but the real catalyst was when you killed Saranbo, as I'm sure you could have figured out on your own. Ryo fielded the blow, and as he has the more chaotic armor of Wildfire, it has sparked and fueled it more than the others. Join that with his own nature, and it was a strong combustion," Anubis saw Ryo's scowl. "Do not be angered, Ryo. Right or wrong it simply is as it is. It does not make you any less or more for it."

"Sage is so even keeled, I'm surprised it affected him as much as it did," Rowen said. "And why would I be affected worse than Kento or Cye?"

The Ancient One refrained from rubbing his forehead. "Sage was affected by the taint to that degree because he attempted to fully merge with his armor, which acted as an open invitation to all its aspects. He then initiated combat, and took life with intent, which feeds the taint a great deal more than simple combat alone." He drew a breath, and hoped he would not have to explain Sage's condition anymore. "As for you, Rowen, your armor of Strata is from and of the merciless conditions of space. It's cold depths are often harsh and unforgiving, despite the brilliant punctuation of the constellations. Your Gin is life, which exists, or does not, and fights for that existence at every turn and waking moment. There is warmth, and joy, in abundance, but it is grit and fight at its core. Kento's armor is well grounded, and immovable. A very part of the foundation of the world. Like his own nature, difficult to change or destroy. His Gin, Justice, is also an ideal and an innate core principle of aware beings. Cherished and expected by more than humans alone. True Justice takes a mighty act to corrupt. But the rocks can be deaf, and Justice blind.

Cye's armor of Torrent is also tricky to sway. It will often go its own way, nearly regardless of the forces exerted on it. It's roaring voice will not easily bow to the command of another, and being water, retains a fluidity that is itself a forces of change, guided by its own will. Cye's Gin of Trust is an important factor, as a thorough trust is nearly unshakable, and it is through Trust, and determination, qualities Cye possesses in great quantities, that some of man's greatest accomplishments have been reached. Yet, it is the one element most easily polluted, and Trust, once broken, nearly impossible to regain.

Even the raging Wildfire is often a cleansing force when coupled with Virtue. Properly guided, it is a purifying combination. Wiping out wrongs and pain, and creating fertile ground so a new future can rise in its stead. But when Virtue is forgotten, direction is lost, and it reverts to its harmful destructive instincts.

Each of you have positive and negative qualities, in a finely tuned balance."

"But it will get us, too?" Cye sounded defeated.

Anubis dipped his head. "It is likely, if you are forced to fight longer. I know that the rate of corruption has been accelerated, and if the situation is not resolved quickly, and with minimal violence, then I fear irreversible consequences may be inevitable."

"So should we let Sage finish the job, now that he knows what he's up against, and trust him?" Ryo asked, hoping not to incur the others' wrath, but wanting an answer. "Or do we try to help him, and risk a complete collapse?"

The Ancient One rose to his feet. "I cannot answer that for you. These are questions to be decided between yourselves."

"So you're just going to run away?" Ryo challenged. "I thought you came to help us. Or maybe you're just worried about your old buddies."

Anubis looked at him levelly. He understood they might not fully trust him, but he had hoped his actions and his own story might have clearly illustrated the truth. Perhaps it would never be enough for some. "I told you, Ryo, they have no meaning to me anymore, other than a dark learning stage in my life. I could tell you what to do, but even I am not sure what is best at this juncture. It may seem that I am merely doing what is easiest, but I find my inability to provide a clear solution disappointing. It is tempting to advise a course of action, to tell you what to do, but I judge it is outside of my jurisdiction to take a leading hand in your lives." His gaze became more intent. "Would you prefer it if I did?"

"Not on your life," Ryo growled unreasonably.

"Then you have your answer," Anubis answered without bitterness. "Now, does anyone else have any more questions, or is it time for me to go?"

"Will Sage be okay?" Kento asked. They all knew he meant if they couldn't catch up to him before he went into battle again.

"I don't know," Anubis answered, truth in his eyes. "I only knew that he was asking himself the same question. I could not advise him either, only inform. Your world is shaped by your own choices, and it is a world I am not sure I have claim to, anymore." He turned to go.

"Thank you," Cye said quickly. "Thank you for coming, and telling us your story. I know it wasn't easy for you, but now we know so much more, and we'll figure out what to do." He smiled, and it cheered the man's weary heart.

"Yeah!" Kento boomed, giving him a thumbs up. "We know who's side you're on, and we'll sock ol' Talpa once for you, too!"

"Sorry for being a grump, we really do appreciate your help," Rowen added, regretting Ryo's attitude.

"Yeah," Ryo said grudgingly. "Thanks."

"You are welcome, my friends," Anubis began walking away. "And I will be close by, for whenever you truly need me." In a moment, he was gone, with his staff echoing sweetly in the breeze.

"So guys," Kento said eventually. "How do we beat this?"

"I don't know," Rowen answered. "But I do know I don't want to leave Sage alone in this anymore." He closed his eyes, focused on his friend, and sent out a query into the void. _Sage, where are you?_


	7. To Stand Alone

Chapter 7

Fully dressed once again, Sage closed the door behind him and allowed the incense and spent candle to vanish from his hands. _Don't look back,_ had been Anubis' advice, and Sage knew he should follow it. In that room, when he had set all the incense alight at once, his own representation and Halo's had quickly risen above the others, locked in a passive struggle for dominance. It would seen unrelated, but Sage had come to a revelation as he watched in the candle's light. Sooner or later, at the edge of every light is darkness, the boundaries of good will be bordered by bad, the end of peace, war, and lining every destruction is a miracle waiting to be born. A coin and a sword will always have two sides, with very little between them. In this contest of opposites lay the balance that ran the world, and every moment threatened to rend it at its foundations. His own path seemed to tread a terrifying gray zone between victory and disaster.

Balance and control had always been favored by the young man, and he was not one to quail in the face of adversity. A truth was he wondered if he could do it, if his strength and fortitude could carry him through this, the greatest challenge he had ever faced. He was already half way there, and his original reasons for beginning this particular campaign were still a driving force in his mind. And when he pictured the others, he felt he would rather do almost anything than put them through what he had already experienced. He had to try. So he closed the door on the sauna room, and began preparing to meet Cale and Dais.

His fresh resolution seemed to alleviate a numbness in his heart, and refill a growing emptiness in his soul.

Rowen's face appeared in the sky, surprising Sage.

"Sage," he asked, and it was clear he desperately wished to be answered. "Where are you?"

Sage blocked him out. "Sorry, Rowen," he said, though the other could not hear him. "But I will do this on my own."

Trees and buildings turned into darkness, with a tiny sun shining brightly at the center as Sage traveled to a different part of himself. He picked up the sun in his hands, and poured into it every memory, feeling, and thought that he considered defining to himself. All of it, from acts of shame to moments of pure joy. A walk during a spring day, and accepting class presidency. Times he had struggled, and been afraid, and when he'd been fearless and strong.

When he looked up, there was a mirror, its perfect surface reflecting the ever changing light of the sun he held in his hands, flirting with the darkness beyond. At the top was a large indentation, and into this Sage put the sun. As it settled in place, radiant golden light spread along the frame, outlining its simple elegance with an inextinguishable luminance. His reflection stared back, waiting. Sage concentrated, turning the image into how he wanted to see himself. Dressed fashionably with good taste, a small but happy smile on his quiet lips, looking content with no worry or care burdening his noble shoulders. Try as he would, though, it was both eyes that stared back at him from his barely controlled mane. He encased the whole thing protectively, then locked it. The reflection was frozen as had satisfied him. This was an experimental technique, and he hoped his sealing measures would be enough in the event things got out of control. If he needed to remember in the future, here was a reminder of everything he was. He hoped Halo would not be able to get in, and he prayed he wouldn't need it.

Finished, he returned to consciousness, rising up through the levels of awareness until he was sitting on the ground, blinking in the low-slung sunlight. Though he hated to take the time, he needed rest. He planned to walk away once the dust and ash settled from all this, and to do that he needed his strength. Though far from his preferences, Sage saw no alternative, and made his bed in the cave system where two joints met, and every sound was heralded by echoes with plenty of advance warning. He hadn't wanted to place himself where the armor would have such an advantage over him, but here he would know if his enemies came looking for him. An assurance most needed and welcomed. Here, with water dripping melodically throughout the echoing underground, Sage slept.

When he woke, it was to the same slow lullaby that he had closed his eyes to. He felt rested and refreshed. His sleep had been undisturbed, though Sage had felt Halo lurking on the periphery.

He got up, tossing his hair out of his eyes, and rolled up his bed. It was almost surprising they had not come for him during the night, but that didn't mean they weren't waiting for him outside, poised to catch him in an unguarded moment. In anticipation of such a potentiality, Sage dressed as well in the protective sub-armor he had become so accustomed to. His mind clear, his body ready, and his will still his own, Sage tucked the bedroll under one arm and walked steadily out of the cave.

A deer, interrupted in its morning drink, raised her head and regarded him from her large, beautiful brown eyes. Twin fawns peeked around her shyly, but with curiosity, and without fear. Sage was gladdened. They clearly did not view him as a threat. They did not run or flinch when he gracefully moved quietly to the stream, somewhat above them, and drank as well of the refreshing water.

The doe walked off, trailed by her fawns, though they threw glances back at the young man. He watched them go, then went his own way. His adequately appropriated sports car was waiting for him, just as he had left it. He brushed a spiderweb from the steering wheel, and another from the driver's seat. None had touched the boxes in the passenger's.

Sage wondered where to go, since Cale and Dais had not come to him. He thought for a moment, then on impulse turned on the radio. It was static. Strange. He knew he was close enough to the major city of Takamodo to get reception, in fact was within a forty-five minute drive. Frowning, he adjusted the knob, searching for a station. He found a few, fuzzy from his location and the distance traveled. None from any of the Takamodo stations, those were still singing white noise. It was as good a place as any to start with, and quite possibly better. Sage started up the smooth engine and eased it out of the woods and towards the main road.

Shortly, he crested a steep hill, the last of the visual barriers the the city, and what he saw caused him to stomp on the accelerator, sending the car rocketing eagerly down the slope. The Dynasty gates hovered hungrily in their gloom above Takamodo, and its evil essence starved the sky of its own natural light. With only minimal regards to safety, Sage was still twenty minutes away, each mile stretching longer as the smoke curled in mourning against Talpa's distant laughter.

* * *

"I saw him," Rowen repeated. "But he shut me out." He hit the side of the Jeep with his fist. "Why won't you let us help you, Sage? You don't need to be alone!"

"Easy, buddy," Kento said. "We'll find him, whether he wants us to or not."

"Did you see anything else that might help locate him?" Ryo asked.

"No," Rowen answered, taking his hand off the Jeep and shoving it back in his pocket. "Nothing."

"So do we just drive around and hope we find him?" Cye asked. "Or does someone have a plan?"

"If he took the road, and since we know he has a car it's likely, then he could only have gone on or back, and we didn't pass him anywhere. At least, not that we noticed," Rowen offered.

"We'll go forward," Ryo said, opening the driver's door and stepping in. "If we don't find any trace of him by nightfall we'll stop and rest. Won't do any good otherwise, either missing something in the dark or being no help when we catch up to him if we've had no sleep." He strapped up, and waited for the others to do the same before he backed the Jeep out of the woods. "We'll take it slow, and keep your eyes open."

"You bet!" Cye said, his gaze already glued to the world outside the window.

"We'll have to eat sometime, too," Kento said, sounding a little guilty.

Ryo's stomach rumbled at the suggestion. "Yeah."

Some hours later, they came to a fork in the road. The sign marked the right as leading to Takamodo, while the left the small town Hibeosho. Day was also beginning to retire, giving way to her brief lived sister Dusk, who looked eager to dance tonight. Ryo slowed down to a crawl as they approached, trying to decide.

"Which way would he go?" Cye asked, looking anxiously down both roads.

"He wouldn't wat to fight the Warlords among a bunch of people," Rowen said.

"But they might be drawn to a larger population," Ryo said, creeping the Jeep closer to decision. The car behind them honked impatiently.

"It's getting dark," Kento said, eyeing a sign further down the left road advertising a diner. "And Hibeosho's closer."

At the last moment Ryo swung the car to the left, to one last long blare of the other's horn. "If Sage even came this way, he'd try to keep the fighting as far from the city as possible. Out of the small town, too, but there's more back roads and less attention."

"You're probably right," Rowen agreed. The truth was he didn't know where Sage had gone. None of them did. It was possible he was no longer the same person they had known, and might now act in ways unpredictable to them. He shook his head. These were no thoughts to be having. They had to trust his fortitude and character. But should they prepare for the worst? Or was that being traitorous to their brother in arms? Remembering Kayura, there seemed a dire possibility that even more difficult questions may lay in their future.

"Maybe he thought the food looked good," Kento said, leaning forward in excitement. Trying to lighten the mood.

Ryo chuckled. "Yeah, it does to me."

"Yeah, man!" Kento offered Ryo a high-five, who took him up on it.

Cye smiled, though he couldn't bring himself to join in. He knew they were simply trying to keep some normality, and find some comfort in routine. The truth was they each carried Sage in the forefront of their thoughts, and saw some reminder of him in most moments, his absence a perpetual ragged hole in their lives. The question weighing heavily on them all was, did this road lead them closer to the quiet young man, or farther? Was this in the hands of Fate?

* * *

I was right there with Ryo, trying to make that decision. To find, or not to find? It was a big question. Sage was just trying so hard, I had to let him at least go into the big fight alone. Considerate, huh? ;) I hope you feel like buckling up; the worst is yet to come. Thank you so much for reading! See you in the city.


	8. Is to Fight Alone

Chapter 8

Sage screamed into the city's outskirts, barely in control of the car in his haste. It nearly tipped over when he slammed on the brakes as it grew too dense to take it further, and he turned its movement into a slide to avoid the heaped pile of cars that had wrecked in moments of reason-deprived panic. It scraped against a lamppost and climbed the curb, but Sage leapt out unharmed. He climbed the oily, smoking collision easily, though the other side presented a scene of extreme chaos.

The intensity of the fear underneath the shadow of the gates was palpable. People were running and screaming for their lives in all directions, trying to find a place to hide or a way out of the city, trampling each other in their mindless frenzy. Around and amongst them were the foot soldiers, gleefully chasing anything that moved, and some that didn't. His first impulse was to engage them here, and fight his way to the heart, where he was likely to find Cale and Dais. But that was time consuming, and it would tire him, lessening his chances of successful combat greatly. Besides, there were too many of the horrid things stop all of them no matter how hard he tried. But if he could take out the generals, it was possible the Dynasty's back would be broken, and its soldiers dispersed. He gritted his teeth and tried to shut out the sounds of the falling around him, and tried not to see anything but the step immediately before him.

He tried, but he couldn't completely, and going forward, leaving the helpless to their violent deaths was the hardest thing he had ever had to do. He didn't think anything could be as hard as putting one foot in front of the other, and his hand off his sword, no matter what else the future held.

His concentration stumbled, then fell apart when he slipped on something. Involuntarily, he glanced down at the severed woman's arm that had tripped him. The world crashed in on him as his gaze was locked, horrified, on that slender, bloody limb. The cries and please eventually drew his attention, and he looked around him with wide eyes.

Some people were being collected to be transported to Talpa's realm for who knew what vile purposes, while others were hewn and hacked far beyond what was fatal. He felt so powerless, so useless, and was caused to question how _he_, alone, could stop this madness. Talpa's henchmen had never been so brutal, and Sage was dulled by the sheer enormity of the suffering and death lying around him. Until he turned further, and saw a soldier slide his spear into the soft cavity of a man's body, then push the still living man to the ground. He caught Sage's stare and returned it with the most taunting look, and began to spear the man repeatedly, only losing his smile when the screaming stopped.

Blood again began to pulse in his veins, recovering from the slowed sludge it had become, then began to roar in Sage's ears. Red colored his vision and a hatred seared his heart. He called the armor to him without realizing it, and drew his nodachi, the construct the only thing he could see. He'd taken three steps toward the automaton, before he became aware of what he was doing, and with difficulty, stopped himself. With cleared eyes, he saw what was being done. The whole thing was an attempt to off-balance him, or cause him to lose control. They were playing war with his mind and heart, and not his body alone. He would have to be careful. Their trap had almost snared him. If he had lost it, it may well have proven a critical failure, which could not be afforded. And all had barely begun.

Sage pushed the images away, pushed the raw pang from his consciousness, and ran forward, trusting he would soon find the Warlords. They wanted him as badly as he wished to find them. As his legs carried him surely now, he focused on calming the anger that still threatened to boil over. He had to do this for the right reasons, with righteous feelings alone. He knew the fine line he walked would devour him if he allowed anything else to creep under his guard. He thought of his mother, and grandfather, and the guys, reminding himself that his true, sole drive was to protect them. He was glad they were not here to see this. He caught the feeling before it faded, and held on to it tightly.

The warrior slid down yet another loose mound of rubble, bringing him into a large square. Large apartment buildings and a cafe lined one side, facing a row of shops across a wide street. Laughter boomed and echoed cruelly throughout the square, met by a second, equal in animosity and anticipation. They were here. Sage looked quickly all around, but didn't see either of them, though he could feel a pressing darkness at the edges of perception. That was Cale, no mistake. But he could spare no more time on the search, a group of survivors huddled crying in the middle of the street, hemmed in by the detestable foot soldiers. They couldn't hold out much longer.

Drawing his sword, Sage charged, driving the nodachi to the hilt into one which was holding a raised mace, before it could smash the small girl in front of them. She was holding tightly to a teddy bear, fear trembling in her blue eyes. The action drew their attention, and Sage was soon moving fluidly through the familiar forms and motions. In moments, he slashed through the last one, and began to turn to urge the survivors to flee.

The movement saved his life, and the blow that would have severed his spinal column instead cut across his jaw. Shocked, he saw the little girl. Instead of a teddy bear, she held a spear and jabbed at him viciously a second time. He jumped backwards, avoiding it well, but all of them chased him, and he realized it had to be one of Dais' tricks. He remembered when it had been used to fool Kento and himself into fighting each other in the past. The belief this was an illusion did not make it easier to aggressively defend himself now, and with each fatal blow, he feared the feel of vulnerable flesh, instead of the clear ring of metal against metal.

As he fought, he could feel Halo prodding at the limitations he had imposed, trying to broaden the flow between them and incorporate itself more fully with Sage's being. He did not fight the armor's attempts, instead passively holding strong to his defenses. The last disguised soldier fell at his feet.

"I'm impressed," Cale said, smoothly stepping out of the shadows. His red cape flowed like sin behind him, emphasizing the contrast of the blood and darkness of his armor. The ebony spikes protruding from his helmet and chest plate were menacing reflections of the blackness of his heart. "You barely even hesitated to strike them down. Tell me, Sage of Halo," he stopped several meters short of the young warrior and brandished the wicked claws secured to his hands. "Does killing come that easily to you now?"

Sage prepared himself. "Is it killing, when they have no soul or body, and no will to speak of?"

Cale grinned. "You still stole their existence, and brought darkness to what had seen light. I could almost be proud of you."

"Do not corrupt me with your pride," Sage said angrily and stepped forward, blade raised high.

Cale lunged, but was blocked, a sneer on his face. "Have enough of your own do you?"

The young man did not respond, putting his focus on his opponent's defenses and his breath into calming himself. As their fight stretched into minutes, Sage became frustrated. It seemed no matter what he tried, Cale was always there, stopping him. Slash, parry. Slice up, sidestep. Feint, predicted. He remembered. Darkness and Light would always meet. Somewhere, they were forever adjacent. Despite his best efforts, Cale's superior strength and long millenia of practice began to outweigh Sage's skill and determination. It did not help Sage was not at the same strength as he had been against the other warlords, and the darkness weighed on his spirit. Cale began to slip past his guard, nicking a leg, scratching an arm, and tasting blood in an armor joint or chink.

Sage pushed the Warlord away, and paused, breathing heavily. He could feel the small wounds, and while they were not debilitating, he knew they were only the forerunners as he stock of the very little he had inflicted on Cale. He became certain upon this examination that if something didn't change in his favor, he would not survive. He had yet to see Dais, which did nothing to ease his mind. He felt again Halo's push against the barrier, and remembered how very much stronger he'd been with its power in his veins. As Cale came for him again, Sage realized the armor was not the enemy he had to fear now, and widened the flow from Halo to himself. The surge of power served to rejuvenate and embolden him, taking Cale by surprise.

He dashed past Cale, attempting to slice through him on the pass, but the Warlord positioned his claw in time, though clumsily, and he still felt the bite of Sage's blade. Stopping immediately past the man, he then jabbed the hilt brutally into Cale's back, knocking him to the ground and taking the wind out of him. Quickly, he turned the Warlord over. _It has to be done,_ he thought to himself. Surprise widened Cale's eyes, and a hateful snarl lined his lips ans Sage raised the nodachi in both hands, high above his head.

"Sage!"

The unexpected sound of Cye's voice caused Sage to miss, sinking the sword into the broken pavement mere centimeters from the Warlord. Able to move again, Cale got to his feet and left, disappearing into a wall of shadow.

Yanking his sword free, but not in time to chase his quarry, Sage turned in pained disbelief. _He_ wasn't supposed to be here. None of them were, but Cye least of all. The blue armored warrior had already slid down the rubble, with the others close behind him.

"We're here to help ya, man!" Kento called.

"You weren't supposed to be here," Sage said quietly, upset by their appearance. Normally he would be glad to see them, but he'd seen how ineffective they were as a group, and they needed protection. They shouldn't be trying to protect him. Their very presence ruined his entire objective, the goal he was sacrificing so much to accomplish.

"But we're here now, and we'll help you put a stop to the Dynasty and Talpa, once and for all," Ryo said with conviction.

"You distracted me, and now Cale's escaped. I had him!" Sage choked on his rising anger, and was confused by the confliction of feelings. Something else nagged at him.

Cye looked crestfallen. "Sorry, mate, I didn't mean for that to happen." They all looked pensively apologetic. Yet they all stood by him, waiting to be accepted. Earnestly hoping he would forgive them, so they could follow through with the duty they had taken upon themselves.

Sage drew and released a deep breath, and allowed the joy of seeing them grow in his heart, until he really could acknowledge the relief of their presence. "It's okay."

"Yeah," Rowen put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a thumbs up. "We'll find him again, and this time, we'll be with you. All the way."

His accent was reassuring. Maybe they would be stronger together, maybe it would be easier to fight with his brothers by his side.

Ryo stepped by him, joined by Kento, facing the direction Cale had retreated in, drawing Sage's attention with them, until all five of them were facing the same way.

"Let's get him," Ryo said. "And make him pay for what he's done to us."

"Count on it," Rowen growled, and a chorus of agreement followed his echo.

Hope burned so sharply in his breast it was painful, and when Sage took a step forward, his feet didn't work right, causing him to drop to his knees. _What?_ The sun that seemed for so brief a moment to shine more fully, now seemed to be swallowed whole by the darkness. He looked down, and touched the spear head protruding through his armor. It came up red with his own hot blood. Sage looked up, and a pain deeper than any physical wound overspread his fine features. Kento was grinning at him, and Ryo crouched in front of him. That was when Sage realized what had been tugging at the strings of his mind. They had no shadows. That girl and the others had not had a shadow either. It was not because of a lack of sunlight, though that was dimmed. It was the mark of Dais' trickery.

"You really can't trust anybody," Ryo chuckled. "But I guess it's the last time you'll have to worry about it, huh, Sage of Halo?" His face flickered, the illusion falling away, laying bare Dais' own. The white face plate was ridged, and the legs sprouting from his back seemed almost to move on their own. He really did look like a triumphant spider, about to dine on the fly. Beside him, Kento blurred into a foot foldier, and Sage didn't need the shifting of hollow feet to know who was actually behind him.

He had so easily fallen for it. So distracted with Halo, and Cale, and himself, he hadn't even stopped to question their presence. Having been fooled once, he hadn't left himself on guard for more of the Warlord of Illusion's arts. Blind. Blind and stupid. It was getting hard to focus on Dais' one good eye, as his strength was stolen away, leeched by the pointed stick that had so narrowly missed his heart. He should have expected something like this, shouldn't have been so naively vulnerable, but as he laid a palm on the ground to support himself, it was the feeling of betrayal that overwhelmed him most. Not the deafening of his ears, or the darkening of his vision, but the bitter anger that surged past it all.

"Bye-bye, little warrior," Dais said, branching out the spidery arms of his armor menacingly. "This is for Sekhment and Kayura. We may not have liked them, but they were part of us."

The other soldier ran a sword through the young man's middle, and Sage gasped. His heartbeat began to slow and all his defenses dropped as his consciousness faded away. Until Halo no longer found resistance and roared, breaking the faintly remaining barrier between the two of them. Shattering it, and empowering Sage's failing body with a jolting intensity. _No,_ Sage thought as he grasped again the hilt of his sword. _I will not die here._ He rose slowly to his feet, the pain momentarily lost in the incredible power surging through him. A small part of him panicked at how much of Halo had broken through, but he was still too weak to do anything about it. And he knew, without it, he would be dead.

Dais stepped back, raising a hand against the burning glow surrounding and emanating from Halo. When it had quieted to a bright nimbus, he was no less cowed by the look in his enemy's eyes. Halo swung the large sword up, then swung it down toward him with the cry of "Thunderbolt Cut!" Too late to run for cover, he tried to brace against it, but was flung violently through a shop front window and slammed through its far wall. The force of the blast knocked him momentarily unconscious. When he struggled to his feet, lucky to be alive, he could no longer see the Warrior of Light. Afraid, he staggered his way to his previous hiding place, cursing Sage's resilience with each painful step.

On the second floor of one of the apartment buildings, Sage slid to sitting against a wall. There were no windows. If there had been they would have been obliterated by his Thunderbolt Cut, and the walls were still intact, making him reasonably sure the Warlords could not find him by the aura of light that he was putting out. His wounds were bleeding badly, and it was with borrowed strength he still breathed. Halo chaffed at the rest, hungry for more fighting, but it was without too much effort Sage could sway its course to bolster the healing he called on the armor to provide. He had never quite understood why with Halo came the gift of healing, but his gratitude was renewed as his wounds closed and the pain receded. His lung functioned properly again, and he gladly took several deep, steadying breaths, allowing the healing to continue, to let his body repair in this brief respite.

Its host strong again and able to wield it in battle, Halo pulled at Sage, willing him back to the war. But Sage was not ready, and knew he couldn't keep half as much control as he needed if he continued to allow Halo as great a flow between them as there was now. It was difficult, with Halo fighting him, to dam up the river, and he was not able to assert as much control as before, but in the end, it would have to do. He allowed much more than he wanted, nearly as much he dared, to fortify him. He had nearly died, and had much yet to do. The warlords were strong, and they hadn't yet taken him together.

With everything quiet around him, all the thoughts and images from the last half hour began to trickle before his eyes, but Sage blinked them away. His mind was beginning to feel fatigued, trying to battle through the games Dais was sparing no effort, it seemed, to play with him. Between the pressure from the inside, and the hideous cruelties out there, he was beginning to wonder how much more he could take. But every moment he spent here, in this semblance of shelter, meant that many more of Talpa's thugs were rampaging through the city.

He stood, wondering where he should search for them. The Warlords would not have left. He was sure there would be dire consequences for them if they failed to kill him. A reflection of his own situation. And he could still feel Cale out there, somewhere. Right now, though, it was Dais with his tricks that was the larger problem, and if he could, that was whom he would prefer to eliminate first.

As he stood, he heard the very same Warlord's voice, easily audible with so few walls and no windows between.

"Quite impressive, Sage, you killed them all. I see you've figured out our little secret to power."

He stayed against the wall, trying to determine where it came from. So far no good.

"For a time I really had hoped you boys would feel the masters touch and join us. Especially with that ruffian in the Wildfire armor, I thought the chances were good. Or perhaps just as fun would have been if you all had destroyed each other."

Sage edged towards the stairs. He didn't want to be seen yet, but he had to get outside.

"It hasn't happened in all the times we've invaded this backwards little world, but with you gone, Sage, it might yet prove possible! You're always so cool headed, I imagine you were quite the steadying element to the rest."

Here, just before becoming exposed, the blast had destroyed part of the wall. He jumped out, landing behind the building. Not guaranteed cover, but it kept him separated from what had been the arena so far.

"They'll be quite beside themselves when they learn of your demise. I wish I could see their faces when we send them your severed head!" Dais laughed quite delightedly. "Can you imagine the chaos? Their hearts stirring against them already, and then that delicious little yellow cherry on top. They'll tear each other to shreds with their armors!" It was vile how much Dais was enjoying this. "And unlike you, Sage, they won't figure it all out until it is far too late to stop!"

His maddening laughter was impossible to pinpoint, and Sage moved to the other side to see if he could discern anything from there. More foot soldiers were gathered in the remains of the ruined square, again disguised under the faces he held dear.

"Perhaps your imagination is a bit dull for task, Halo," Dais said maliciously. "Try mine."

Like puppets dancing to a master's strings, the Ronin automatons came to life. From where he was, Sage could hear and see it all, and worst, couldn't keep himself from watching. The real trick to Dais' art was understanding his source material, and his infernal machinations were all too terrifyingly possible.

Ryo lifted something into the air, and though Sage couldn't make it out in perfect detail, it was impossible not to know what it was. The horror and shock on their faces cut Sage deeply, even though he knew it wasn't truly them.

"Those monsters!" Kento shouted. Cye began to weep.

Rowen turned his head away, and the little light that defied Talpa's gates reflected sharply at the corner of his eye. "We shouldn't have let him run off by himself. We should have followed him."

"It's our fault, we weren't there for him, and now he's gone," Cye wiped his eyes ineffectually, his voice rough.

"He made his own choices, we aren't responsible for the outcome," Ryo said quietly.

Kento stepped up to him, his footfalls resounding angrily. Sage was surprised by the emotions these illusions portrayed, it was hard not to believe his senses, easiest to ground them in the lack of shadow coalescing at their feet.

The boy in orange armor spoke. "That doesn't change the fact that we could have prevented this!" Pointing at the false Sage's head. "We could have been a team! You should have led us!"

Ryo's voice rose sharply. "You want me to always tell you what to do? You want me to manage you? Well fine! We'll do it that way, just don't come complaining when you don't like what I say!"

Rowen jerked him roughly by his shoulder, spinning the black haired boy to face him. "You just don't want to feel responsible, you can't face up to your own shortcomings! Sage is dead, dead! And you want to just brush it off as meaningless? How dare you!" And he punched the Japanese boy.

Ryo wiped his lip. "Cheap shot. But then that's all you've got, isn't it?"

"Stop it, Rowen!" Cye said, his eyes wet still, but now something else could be seen in his stance. "He's doing the best he can, just like us. You don't have to judge him so harshly for what seems so obvious to you. I get so sick of you sometimes, with your nose always a bit in the air because you think you're so much smarter than us! I could always feel it from you, feeling so smugly superior with that big head of yours," Somehow Cye had turned ugly, and it was coming over the others, too. "Well I've had enough!" He swung strong and low, hitting the American in the middle, doubling him over.

"What are you doing?" Kento sounded surprised, and grabbed Cye so as to restrain him. Sage's mock eyes stared at the scene from where he had been dropped. A gruesome omen. "Calm down buddy!"

"And you," Cye snarled, slipping out of Kento's grasp and pinning his arm behind his back. "Always making me feel weak, always under your huge thumb, how you constantly reminded me how much smaller I am. Now you'll see the truth!" He pulled up with his arms, simultaneously kicking his legs out from under him. Kento cried out in pain as his right shoulder was rendered useless. Cye locked eyes with Ryo. "And I'm not taking anymore orders from you. Your selfish recklessness was bound to kill us sooner or later. Sage just got it first."

Rowen stepped between and put his arm out, barring Cye's advance. "This is all wrong, you aren't acting like yourself."

"Maybe I am," Cye said, and he shoved Rowen backwards, then summoned his armor. Ryo and Rowen did as well in response.

Ryo rose, the fire building in his eyes. "So you're not just a pathetic wimp, you've actually got a spine in there."

"Yeah," Cye said bluntly, and his accent emphasized his dry, serious tone. "Now I suppose you'll be wanting to do something about it."

"Challenge accepted," Ryo brandished his dual swords and leaped upon his former comrade. He was fast, but Cye was good as well, and whenever their weapons met, steam hissed on contact.

Rowen stepped in to try to stop them, and as he did the ground trembled and broke beneath them, blasting boulders and rocks amongst the three, pummeling and ragdolling them away from each other.

"Cye!" Kento roared, his right arm dangling uselessly. It made the heavy pointed staff in his left hand look no less threatening. "You dirty back-stabbing traitor! I'll kill you!" He too was in his armor.

Cye struggled to his feet, dazed, but still hot for the fight. He lined his trident with Kento, who was coming fast, and called on his unique, devastating power. "Super Wave-Smasher!" Water roiled from the prongs of his weapon, twisting into an incredibly forceful horizontal vortex. But Kento got to him first and hit him hard with the staff, easily breaking bones despite wielding it one handed. The blow caused Cye's aim to shift wildly, and it caught Rowen in full force, knocking him back down, possibly killing him. Kento brutally beat the slighter boy until there was nothing left.

"He was mine!" Ryo snarled, standing now.

"You were too slow," Kento hefted the bloodied weapon. "You lose."

"Do I?" Ryo asked, and called forth all the power of the fire within, and burned his friend in a blinding inferno. The smell of charred flesh turned Sage's stomach, even more than everything else.

"That puts me back on top," Ryo said, bruised from Kento's earlier attack. They were his last words. From the side, a golden arrow screamed through the air, hitting Ryo's center of mass. Rowen's Arrow Shockwave obliterated Ryo, but the blue haired warrior was not alive to see it.

Loosing that arrow had been his final act before the combined power of Kento and Cye took their final toll in his last heartbeat. All was silent for a long moment. Sage knew these were not his brothers, that the horrible scene just played out had not actually happened. But he'd seen what he'd become capable of, with the corruption. Was it so far off?


	9. Is to Fall Alone

Chapter 9

"Brings a tear to my eye," Dais said, clapping. Good humor ringing in his voice, with a caustic undertone he added, "What do you think, Sage? Should we call for an encore?"

"I know what you're trying to do," Sage shouted back, wishing he didn't sound so angry. "But you will not break me with your cheap tricks, so just come out and fight me!"

"By all means!" Dais said. "Do come out, Sage of Halo. If you survive what's coming next, then perhaps I will have to kill you myself."

"I am here," Cale said, and Sage saw him step across Cye's fake, unrecognizable body. The press of darkness emanating from him told Sage he no illusion. "Perhaps you'd like to try me. Really though, you can take your time. It gives our soldiers something to do. They do get so bored when they are locked up with nothing to kill, so these excursions are quite good for everyone."

Sage burned with hatred for them, until it almost blinded him. He wanted so much to rip their throats out. Or was it only the armor? He couldn't, not until he had himself back under complete control. He didn't want to turn into the monster again, didn't want to be like them. But they deserved it.

Not seeing the blond young man, Dais called out again. "If you really didn't like that scenario, young warrior, I can show you a different one. How about this time I show you how happy they could be, working for Master Talpa? We could show them how to live in harmony with their armor. You never know, they might take to it quite naturally, like yourself. Would you like to see that?" He chuckled. "Or perhaps you'd like to kill them, too."

There was the slightest _chink, chink_ of metal rubbing metal as Sage walked up the short ally between apartment buildings, slightly past them, and stopped. His mouth guard was up, and he had not looked more intimidating. "None of us will ever work with you."

Cale smiled. "Ronin Warriors, to me!" He cried, and from behind the ruined store fronts streamed dozens of Kentos, Ryos, Cyes, and Rowens, some in armor, some not, and came to the warlord's defense. Cale stepped backwards into the throng, so they came between himself and Halo. Eerily, his was the only shadow in the mass.

Sage was not surprised, and telling himself they were not real, repeating it as a mantra and his own lifeline to sanity, he waded in. It wasn't only the small horde of sadistic impersonations he had to deal with. Cale was always close enough to slip in when his focus was averted and scratch at him with his deadly, shredding claws. The whole time the look-alikes were talking as Sage cut through them.

"Sage, let me help you." "What are you doing, man?" "Sage, don't hurt me!" "We can get you through this!" "Trust me." "We're a team, we should stick together." "You're turning into a monster!" Over and over, ceaselessly. No matter which of them he cut down, another trusted face took his place. Smiling, or frowning in concern, saying things that should never come from the throats of the automatons beneath. He had to stop seeing them as human, he tried not to hear them. They were the enemy. But he quickly grew fatigued, and had to let more of Halo through, just to help him keep his footing. Then more, and more, until he realized the voices had stopped, and he became aware of the salty taste of tears in his mouth. Why? They weren't real. He knew the difference. Looking consciously through his eyes, he saw he had the last of them still impaled on his blade.

"Monster," Cye croaked, and his auburn hair fell forward with his head. It felt surreal. So tangibly surreal.

From the side, Cale darted in, slashing with ferocity. Sage tried to protect himself, but the construct stuck on the nodachi, weighing it down and making movement clumsy. He lost his footing in the first blow, the second drew blood and sent him flying across the destroyed street divider. His grip on his sword stayed firm, and the momentum cleared it of the corpse. His back against the pavement, Sage lay, half stunned, staring up. A sardonic smile swept his pale lips. He could see Dais, clinging upside down in the shadowed overhang of a tall roof. From there, he could see the whole battle field, while remaining hidden himself.

Using the unlikely agility of his armor, Sage leapt his way from foothold to foothold, narrowly evading Cale and at the height of his third jump, slashed at the surprised Warlord. Dais lost his hold and fell to the ground, landing on his feet next to Cale. Sage was facing them.

"Finally," the young warrior said, holding the nodachi in front of him. "It's just the three of us."

"That is soon to change, boy!" Dais said, readying his super power. Cale moved forward in a prolonged feinting maneuver, splitting Sage's attention as Dais called, "Web of Deception!". The spidery legs on the Warlord of Illusion's armor reached out, driving and burrowing through the ground to erupt around Sage, attempting to trap him in a devious vise.

Sage, under Cale's assault, managed to avoid the greedy tentacles several times, but the long battle and mental strain were telling heavily, and his reflexes were slowing. He moved his leg barely in time to escape Dais' extended grasp,and Cale reached across the webbing, hitting Sage hard enough to off balance him. The young warrior was snatched up and suspended, his sword knocked from his grasp. He struggled against the bonds, but they only grew tighter. He was helpless.

Both Warlords laughed maliciously, sure now of their victory.

"You look nicely caught," Dais said, and Cale walked up to Halo.

"You better hope I stay that way," Sage grunted under the pressure of his chains.

Dais chuckled. "You are quite amusing. I think I'm going to miss our little conversations. Tell you what, I think I'll tell you a little story while Cale sees what you're really stuffed with. I know it will make me feel better, and I can't wait to see the second to last look you'll have on your pretty little face. I imagine it will be priceless."

"Can't say I've approved of your imagination so far," Sage said bravely, getting nowhere in his attempts to release himself. Cale slashed his claws across Sage's chest, scratching his armor.

"First, I've got to know," Dais seemed quite content to simply suspend him, talking over the sharp screech as Cale slashed again and again at their opponent. "Did any of you stop to wonder why we didn't simply work together to eradicate you weaker lot like so many vermin?"

"You didn't want to overwhelm us with your charming personalities?" Sage said, using the conversation as a distraction for himself. Cale slashed again, in the more flexible middle, toying. Sage knew his armor wouldn't withstand it all for long. He still couldn't escape. _Let me out,_ Halo whispered. _Free me._

"You would have been as a Warlord!" Dais continued. "Master Talpa wants all the armors, then there will be nothing to oppose him, and when he turns his gaze to other worlds, there will be nine generals at his side, to conquer in his great name!"

Cale broke through, and drew his arm back to puncture the tender flesh.

"Not too soon!" Dais told him sharply. "I still haven't finished with my fun."

"Get on with it," Cale growled, and began to beat the boy instead.

"Leave his ears and face. I really want him to hear this," His casual tone could not have been rivaled. "You pathetic, underdeveloped humans could not possibly have hoped to overthrow the Dynasty. Since you presented so small a threat, this was the time to tip the scales in our favor. Fools! All we had to do was keep you fighting!"

Since he couldn't kill him yet, Cale was sparing nothing in venting his hatred and frustrations. Sage didn't know what to do. He needed help, and fast. But from whom? _Me_, the other voice whispered. _You can trust me. I'll save you. _No! There was one other.

"After so many years of fighting, repulsing our master again and again, those armors you wear are certain to be near an irreversible breaking point. Did you know the violence is cumulative? I'm sure you know, Sage of Halo, the more violence you commit with it, the stronger and more bloodthirsty it becomes. That does not end when its bearer takes it off and leaves it for another generation. The long years of peace do perhaps dull it somewhat, but the growing, festering need becomes greater after each use. So we kept you fighting, kept you waging war, teased you with anger and hate. If your armors do not answer their true master's call in your lifetime, then it could very well be the next time. At this rate no later than the time after. It cannot be stopped!" He crowed. "It cannot be undone! Even with the knowledge, you are trapped. You cannot dare to be strong, and your weakness is temporary. All you blind fools are doing is forging Master Talpa's path to complete dominion of your world! You cannot win the war, you never could!" Dais' laughter resounded harshly through the broken structures, flung carelessly over the slowly disappearing corpses of his puppets.

"You're lying!" Sage gasped, blood in his mouth. "That's all you ever do! This is no different."

"Oh, Sage," Dais said, mirth still in his eye. "To be an effective liar, one must know full well the truth, and know when that truth will better serve them. I gave you the truth. Really, is there any_ lie_ I could have made up that would send your corpse to the birds with more horror? Anything I could have designed to better demonstrate your futility? No, dear Sage, sometimes my best weapon is what can't be denied or twisted."

_Could it be?_ Sage wondered. He didn't want to believe him, but it did ring with truth. It fit with Sage's own feelings. The others wouldn't know. How could they? This whole time, this entire war, all their efforts, worse than useless? In trying to help and preserve, they were only building towards greater destruction? They had suffered, and bled, for _Talpa_?!

No! _Oh yes, yes!_ Unavoidable or not, these two would not live to see their evil schemes come true! _That's right, let me punish them, let us punish them together._ He remembered his brothers, and how it felt to watch them tear each other apart.

Tortured, beaten, chained under a black sky, Sage vowed to save them from themselves. Whatever the cost. _You need me._ Yes, he thought. I do. And he broke the walls between them.

"Now," Dais said. "You can do the honors."

A clear, rhythmic ringing sang out, and a wooden thump followed it. Dais' web broke, dropping Halo limply to the ground.

"It's that traitor, Anubis!" Cale shouted, looking for this new enemy.

"Quick! Kill the boy," Dais said, turning to find their excommunicated brother. "I want to see his soul rot in Talpa's-" His mouth still formed the word 'hands', even as it flew free from his shoulders.

Cale turned, and had to shield his eyes from the raging glow. Sage moved stiffly, slowly, but his eyes burned with a hatred fresher than Cale's own. There was no apathy from long centuries spent steeped in turbid conditions in his wrath. At that moment, Cale felt fear. He shouldn't have listened to that old fool, he should have just killed Halo when he'd had the chance. But he wasn't finished just yet.

Halo swung the nodachi, but Cale moved aside, swiping and scratching with his claws. Halo readjusted his stance and tried again. Cale blocked, then put his strength into pushing his opponent away. He began to initiate his power. "Black Lightning-" he began the verbal activation, but Sage closed the distance with surprising speed, driving his sword into Cale's chest.

"The light!" Cale screamed, writhing against that which he could not escape. "It burns! It burns!"

"No more darkness," Sage said through gritted teeth, and twisted the blade. The oppressive feeling against his aura lifted, and he removed the sword with its crimson sheen. Cale's body fell to the ground, dull eyes crying for his master's aid. Halo also looked up.

"Talpa!" Sage roared. "Leave! Leave or face me!"

For a long, silent moment, nothing happened. Then the great Dynasty doors began to slowly swing shut with a great groan. The whole thing shimmered out of existence, taking its soldiers and the great black clouds with it.

There was an unspoken promise that Sage knew had been made. He would be back.

"You've done it," Anubis said quietly beside him, and not without wonder.

Sage turned to him, the glow expiring. "Where are the others?" He asked flatly, a certain numbness setting in.

The Ancient One put a hand on his armored shoulder. "They're safe now. You should rest, and let me tend your wounds."

Halo knocked his hand away angrily. "Then you know nothing! Tell me where they are, or I will find them myself."

Anubis took a step back. "What's happened to you? Sage, are you still in there?"

Sage snorted contemptuously. "Of course I am. But if you continue to deny my question, then I will have no choice but to see you as my enemy. I will save them!"

"The threat is gone," Anubis said warily. "If you remove your armor and let me help you, I will take you to them."

"Liar!" Sage hissed and lunged forward. Anubis raised his staff to protect himself, and Sage grabbed it. "You don't want me to save them, you're still on the other side!" And he broke the Ancient's Staff.

"No!" Anubis yelled, dropping to catch the pieces as they fell. "Sage," he whispered, his face pale. "What have you done? What have you become?"

"I thought you would be pleased that I destroyed the Warlords," Sage shouted, and, gripping Anubis by his robes, lifted him to his feet. "But now all you're doing is calling me a monster!"

The Ancient One's eyes were sad. A deeper sadness than he had ever hoped to feel. "I'm-"

"You're what?" Sage shook him.

"I'm sorry, Sage. I should never have let you do this. I'm sorry."

Halo stared at him, and Anubis was sure he would be killed. Seen as the enemy he once was, and had worked so hard to put behind him. A fate he would gladly have accepted, if it had meant he could have saved the man in front of him.

"You're pathetic," Halo said and threw him against against the wall of an apartment building.

By the time Anubis had gotten back to his feet, Sage was gone. The two Warlords lay where they were felled, and there were still the bodies of a few foot soldiers, scattered in various forms of grotesque repose. They'd lost their borrowed appearance the moment Dais lost his life. Anubis hadn't paid them much attention when he'd first arrived, focused on trying to help Sage, but if what he thought he had seen was accurate... It made him shudder. What all had they done to him? Just what had he suffered to make him lose himself like this? The battlefield seemed hollow, despite the incredible victory won.

"What has been sacrificed for this?" Anubis wondered aloud. It seemed so very shallow, now.


	10. Truth Hurts

Chapter 10

"Ah," Kento sighed, leaning back in his booth seat contentedly. "They sure know how to make a mean burger."

"Or three," Rowen remarked dryly, drawing a laugh. Kento grinned widely.

"You're just glad we found an American restaurant," Ryo said, pushing away the last of his breakfast omelette with a smile. "Yankee."

"Me too," Cye said, smiling up from his ham and eggs. "Not that I don't like Japanese fare," he added apologetically. "It's just nice to taste something closer to home."

"Whoever thought to put meat between bread was a real genius," Kento said, dipping the last of his tater tots in ketchup and tossing it into his mouth, savoring it. "Genius."

Ryo glanced across the table, where Sage would have sat. He'd seen the others do the same, and more than one joke die on Kento's lips. And those long periods of time where he would have said something, and they had all paused when it didn't come. He had hoped they would find him. This whole thing was giving him headaches, especially with how hard he was working to keep his temper in check.

"I'll go pay the bill," Rowen said abruptly, scooting out of the booth.

The table was quiet. Cye picked at his food, pretending to eat but too distracted to have a real appetite.

"I guess we should find some place to sleep for the night," Ryo said, hoping he sounded more light hearted than he felt. "Get an early start."

"My favorite," Kento grumbled good naturedly.

"Sounds like a plan,"Cye agreed encouragingly. He elbowed Kento's ribs. "I'm sure we'll find some way to wake this guy up!"

"Oh yeah?" Kento grinned. "Maybe I'll get up first and do something to you!"

Cye laughed. "Not a chance!"

Rowen came back, throwing a slight glance at Kento. Why had Sage always insisted on paying the whole thing, especially when a particular one of them ran it up so high? Oh yeah, that was right. It was hard to remember Sage had deep pockets when he acted like such a regular guy. "All done," he said.

"Alright," Ryo responded, getting up. "Let's find a place to bunk down."

"I asked the waiter for suggestions," Rowen said helpfully. "There's a little hotel just down the street. Can't miss it."

"Then that's that," Kento said enthusiastically. He climbed out and stretched, yawning mightily. "I could use some serious shut eye."

The hotel was small, rustic, but it kept a homey sense of class, making it quite inviting. They booked a single room, used to sharing. They acquired extra blankets and pillows, then arranged themselves on the floor. There was a perfectly good bed, but none of them wanted to be the one to take it.

Rowen claimed floorspace by the window. That went undisputed, but when he wanted to keep the curtains open, Ryo objected, preferring more total darkness. A disagreement that got much more serious than it should have. In the end, he slept in the shadow of the bed. Cye and Kento crowded against the other wall, trying to give the other two space. Rowen stared out through the open curtains, and hoped their missing brother also had a safe place to rest tonight.

Sleeping in front of the bared windows also meant he was fully exposed to the sun's most early, hesitant touch. Rowen blinked miserably in the light and turned over, hoping to ignore it and go back to sleep. Why did it have to be up already? He pulled the pillow over his head.

"Saw that!" Cye said from across the room, attempting to rouse the snoring Kento. "Time to get up!"

"I just got to sleep," Rowen grumbled. Then he remembered why they were rising early like this. With another groan, he pushed himself off the floor. His eyes adjusting, he saw Cye's hair was wet, and shook his head. He'd already had a shower. How did this guy have the energy to be ready to go already? A glance at the clock told him it was six thirty. Criminal.

Ryo came out of the bathroom. Showered. Their leader looked surprised. "Still working on Kento? Geez the guy can sleep."

Cye shook the big boy again, and when that, shocker, had no effect on his state of consciousness, started dragging him around the room by his arm. "At least Rowen got himself up, I wasn't looking forward to waking him! You know how he gets in the morning."

"I'm just fine in the morning," Rowen said irritably. Seriously, did it have to be so bright? He saw the smiles and knowing looks exchanged by the two early birds. Ignoring them, he gathered his day clothes and headed for the bathroom. Might as well take a shower, too. He ran into the door post. "Who put that there?" He complained loudly, to some repressed snickers. Rubbing his head, he finally made it inside. Unbelievably, he could hear Kento ask, "Who's there?"

"You're welcome," he said under his breath. He started the water running and took off his shirt.

Fifteen minutes later, he stepped out of the bathroom, feeling much more awake. He just might survive the day after all. Kento stumbled past him, with a sleepy, "Good morning". At least, that was what Rowen thought he was trying to say.

"Where's Ryo?" He asked, and started helping Cye fold up the blankets and putting them and the pillows into organized piles.

"He's out getting some breakfast for everyone," Cye answered, knocking one of Kento's forgotten socks off a blanket. It was too stiff to flop like a sock should. He and Rowen looked at each other, scared.

"When was the last time he washed those things?" Rowen asked, staring at it, suddenly wondering if it was supposed to be gray.

"I really don't know," Cye started laughing. It grew uncontrollable, and he went from rocking on his heels to falling on his back with it. Rowen didn't see what was so funny.

"Hey, Rowen," Cye said, still on his back, but not laughing anymore.

"Yeah?" He started on the blankets again.

"Do you think we would have all met, without Talpa and the armors?"

"I really don't know," he frowned thoughtfully. "Probably not, I guess."

"Kinda strange, having something to thank this war for."

"I hadn't really thought about it."

"I'm glad we all met. It always feels like I'm with family. You know?"

"Yeah," Rowen smiled. "I'm glad too."

They worked in silence, until they were packed up, and everything left neat and tidy.

"What about Sage?" Cye asked as they stared at their handiwork. "Do you think he's okay?"

Rowen wanted to say yes, but Cye wasn't asking for assumed hope. "I wish I knew."

"I'm so worried about him," Cye's hands tightened in on themselves. "With all those horrible feelings," he didn't have the words. Neither of them did. "I feel so guilty. Not being there for him, not knowing what he's going through."

"Yeah," Rowen agreed quietly.

"I hope he'll still call us his friends."

"Me, too."

Ryo opened the door. "Hope everyone's hungry."

"You bet!" Cye said exuberantly, and took some of the fast food bags from him, placing them on the bed.

The shower stopped abruptly, and one minute after, Kento bowled out of the bathroom, tucking his shirt in. "Save some for me!" He shouted.

Cye laughed. "Maybe we should have tried food in the first place."

"Yeah!" Ryo agreed, chuckling. "Dig in, guys."

Shortly after seven saw them all loaded into the Jeep and strapping in.

"So where are we going?" Kento asked from the back seat.

"I'm actually not sure," Ryo said. "Any suggestions, guys?"

Rowen started looking at a map of the area.

"Like we said before, somewhere away from people," Cye said.

"Maybe somewhere sunny," Kento added. "He always seems to like that."

"There's a road on the other side of town," Rowen suggested. "It goes pretty far, and it doesn't look like there's a lot out there."

"Okay, then," Ryo backed the Jeep out and got on the road. Something was tickling at the back of his mind, but he couldn't figure out what. Hopefully it would reveal itself soon. Whatever it was, he knew it was related to Sage, and right now they needed any clue they could get.

They drove for over an hour, but couldn't discern any sign of the object of their search. They took a side road which dead ended on them in half an hour, at a large farm. Questioning the farmer's wife revealed nothing. It seemed a tall order, finding him without any direction. Keeping heart, they turned around and headed back to the road they'd branched from.

At the turn pike, they debated which way to go. Consulting the map decided them. Continuing their prior route would shortly dump into a protected national forest. If they hadn't found hide nor hair of him by then, they could at least rule out this direction.

Ten minutes later, the most alarming jolt yet spasmed through them. Gasping with shock and physical pain, Ryo lost control of the vehicle. He tried, but they swerved across both lanes before sliding off the road. A horrible emptiness shuddered through their souls, and a bleak loss swept through their hearts. Each with a hand pressed tightly to their chests, they started talking at once, after the Jeep finished the slight, harmless rocking motion as it settle halfway into the ditch.

"What was that?"

"Sage, was that Sage?"

"What happened?"

"Is he-did he?"

Ryo didn't wait for the babble to become sensible, he got the Jeep back on the road, heading the opposite direction. The darkness had stirred a memory, and he bet he knew where the other had gone. His heart dropped to the grating road beneath when he realized it might be too late for the revelation.

"Idiot!" He shouted, banging a shaky hand on the steering wheel. The horn honked, making all four of them jump, quieting them for a moment.

"What is it?" Cye asked, looking sick.

"I can't believe I was so stupid!" Ryo growled, depressing the pedal past cautiousness. "The caves, that's probably where he would have gone."

"What caves?" Kento asked, taking his hand from the pain that wasn't his.

All eyes were on Ryo. "After we were separated," he explained, his hands white knuckled in anger on the steering wheel. "Back in our first battles, Sage was sent to some caves a bit before Takamodo. Right back there!" He fumed violently. "We could have been there last night!"

"Calm down, Ryo," Rowen advised, his own heart still racing.

"No! This is all my fault. If I'd only remembered," Ryo's eyes were two orbs of the wild storm as they rocketed down the road. "Now he's," he couldn't finish.

"Maybe that wasn't what we thought it was," Rowen said, his eyes low.

Ryo spared him a glance. "Do you really believe that?"

"No," Rowen answered faintly. He shivered. It didn't feel empty now, but what did that prove? Not a thing. It was exactly the sort of thing he had supposed it would feel. It was the rending anguish of a permanent loss.

"That's hours away," Kento's grip tightened on the back of Rowen's seat. Desperation and a dark promise thickened his voice.

"Don't you think I know that?" Ryo growled.

Cye's lip quivered, and his eye lashes bore reflective pearls. "Sage. He can't really be gone, can he?"

No one answered him. "He just can't be," Cye whispered to himself as he closed his eyes.

The intensity of the air grew thicker as the miles were eaten by the tires that rolled madly beneath them, until it grew practically palpable. Cye felt smothered by it. The weight of the anger and the possibly insatiable hunger for vengeance pressed on him from all sides, and it hit him that this was the type of thing the evil streak in their armor would feed on gloatingly. "Guys," he said neutrally. He didn't want that turned on him. "Remember what the Ancient One said."

"Later," Ryo said darkly. "Maybe."

Kento steadfastly said nothing, but he did swallow and blink. Rowen shifted slightly in his seat.

"We should probably slow down," the blue haired boy said reluctantly. "It won't help any if we get pulled over."

"I don't care," Ryo responded, effectively ending all conversation.

As quickly as the poor Jeep could go, but too slow still, they made it back to Hibeosho. Though each second gave them only a brief glance, it looked more quiet than it should have been. And no police sirens swelled in response to their ludicrous acceleration. Shortly, they reached the bend that would put them on the path to Takamodo. Tight lipped, Ryo barely stayed on the road as they squealed through the turn.

A few cars passed them, also speeding, their driver's wide eyed in terror. The Ronins all wondered, but kept their speculations to themselves. Several minutes later, they came in sight of a police barricade on their side of the road.

When Ryo didn't slow the car down, Rowen said, "They might know something."

Ryo debated. He was completely inclined to simply drive around it, or come to the worst, he thought he could ram through them. But on the other hand, if his guess was wrong, it would cost them even more time to backtrack and try again. At the last moment, he slammed on the brakes. An officer came running up to them. Ryo tensed. If this guy was just going to ticket or try to arrest him for speeding, compliance was not an option.

The young man looked haggard, his face pale. "Trust me," he said through the window Ryo had rolled down. "You don't want to go that way."

"Why not?" Ryo challenged.

"I understand why you would want to try to help, but stay out of Takamodo. It's a complete nightmare. If you've got friends or family there, you can't help them," He looked that way. "All available forces have gone in, but we just recently reestablished radio contact."

"I'm not staying here," Ryo said.

"You'll just complicate things," the officer warned. "Do not proceed."

"Try me!" Ryo shouted, and with the high pitched squeal of burning rubber, the Jeep jumped forward and whizzed past the barricade, leaving the officer shouting and waving his arms.

"They drew him to the city," Rowen shook his head.

"He would have been surrounded," Cye said quietly. "But he wouldn't have let a trap stop him from going, not with all those people in danger."

"We all should have been there," Kento thundered. "This is a major city, not some spot in the woods!" His sub-armor appeared on him. "I'll make them all pay."

"If they got Sage, you'll get your chance," Rowen said, donning his sub-armor as well. "And I'll be right next to you."

Ryo's red and white appeared in silent agreement, and Cye followed suit.

* * *

Hello there wonderful readers! Thank you so much for reading! Did you enjoy the moment of downtime, maybe smile a little? That's good. Next stop, a ruined city, and the remnants of a warrior. Is another man about to die?


	11. Wisdom of Another

Chapter 11

Half an hour later, each minute passing like dripping molasses, and blowing by two other police checkpoints, they finally crested the same hill, and saw the smoking city below. But without the dark clouds and red and gold gates of Talpa's domain dominating the sky, it looked like their vengeance might not be immediate. Frustrated, Ryo allowed the Jeep to slow, no longer eager if all that lay ahead of them was the work of finding their brother's body.

The slowing of the blur in scenery was the only reason Cye saw a flash of the familiar. "Sage!" He yelled, and Ryo slammed on the brakes, bringing the Jeep to a grinding, eventual halt. It had barely gotten to a half safe speed when Cye jumped out, rolling heavily on the road.

"Cye!" Kento grabbed at him. Missing, he too jumped.

Ryo was the last one out, but close on Rowen's heels. Running hard back up the hill, neither of them even noticed the long black streaks newly impressioned into the ashpalt.

"Where?" Rowen asked, breathless with strained impatience as they caught up to where Cye was standing, looking around.

" I saw him, on the side of the road," he said, running to the ditch and looking again. "Over here somewhere. He was walking!"

"He's alive?" Ryo gasped.

"But I thought he was gone!" Kento said, searching even harder.

"Does that disappoint you?" Sage's voice said gruffly. He stepped from around a tree he had hidden himself behind. His appearance caused them all to gasp in both happy shock, and horror at his gruesome visage. His nodachi was streaked with red, his green armor torn and ripped, often correlating with smears and rivulets of the same color. Blood also had trickled down his mouth guard. He walked stiffly, with a little bit of unnatural sway.

"Sage!" Cye cried and went to support him.

"Stay back!" Halo barked harshly and raised the sword. Cye's steps faltered.

"We just want to help you, bro," Kento said, coming to Cye's side.

Sage laughed mirthlessly. "If that's true," he said. "Give me your armors. All of them. You don't know how bad they are, what they'll do to you."

This was all wrong. What had happened to Sage?

"We do know," Rowen said soothingly, joining Cye and Kento. "The Ancient One explained it all to us. Now just trust us."

"He doesn't know, he doesn't know it all," Halo said, defeated misery lowering his voice. "I can't win the war. We can't win." His eyes, shadowed as they were, sharpened. "But I will protect you. Give them to me!"

"What do you mean, we can't win?" Ryo asked, stepping up with the others. "Are Cale and Dais still out here?"

"No, Cale's dead," Sage answered. His tone turned uncertain, and he further raised the sword between them. "I thought I killed Dais, too."

"Everything's okay now, Sage," Rowen said calmly, as if he were talking to a wounded animal. "We're safe, we're okay. You're hurt, let us help you. Then we'll figure out what to do now, together." He smiled. "Okay?"

"Something's wrong with him," Ryo whispered quietly to the others. "Be careful."

Panic gripped Sage. Ryo whispering? And they refused to let him help them, changing the subject at every juncture. He thought Dais was dead, he'd been so sure. But if these were more illusions, if the Warlord was still out there, didn't that mean Cale could be, too? Would this never end, would he never be free of them? If they weren't though, if these were the real Ryo, Rowen, Cye, and Kento, how could he tell? If they were, he still had to save them, and if they continued to refuse, if they were that blinded by their armors, then he would have to save them from themselves. They couldn't be allowed to degenerate into the hideous monsters the armor could turn them into. At whatever price, he would save them. "For the last time," Sage said, ready either to attack or desist. "Let me have your armors, or I will be forced to take them from you."

"What are you gonna do with them?" Kento asked.

"Get rid of them," he snarled. "They'll all be Talpa's tools if I don't keep them out of his hands."

"Then why don't you remove yours first?" Rowen suggested, taking a step forward, his hands spread in the universal gesture of peace.

He'd _felt _Dais' neck severe under the sharp edge of his blade. What was the truth? He would have to find out. His disguised constructs had still felt like metal though they bore these same faces. "If you want it," He said resolutely. "You'll have to tear it off my dead body."

Rowen stepped back. "We don't want to fight you, Sage."

He laughed again. "Oh don't you?"

Kento was getting upset. "Look man, I don't know what's wrong with you, but all I know is we've been worried sick about you, and we've spent the last few days looking for you. Hearing you talk, well it's just not you, Sage!"

Heaven help him it _sounded_ like Kento! But remember what happened the last time he'd trusted them. Not this time! Halo charged forward, aiming to slash Rowen. He moved with surprising speed and strength, considering how badly he looked.

"Look out!" Ryo shouted, getting out of the way.

Stunned, Rowen barely threw himself out of Halo's path in time. He was struck, not with Sage's sword, but with a devastating thought. What if this wasn't Sage? Dais, with his devious skills and malicious sense of humor would love to do this to them. Filling them with hope, just to make them fight the one person they'd thought was dead? He remembered the feeling of haunting emptiness perfectly well.

"Sage!" Cye pleaded, dodging a hefty swipe from Halo. "It's your armor, don't give in to it! You're stronger than this!"

Sage swung again, and upon missing, lashed out with a foot, knocking the auburn haired boy down.

"No!" Kento roared, slipping between and, with crossed forearms, blocked a blow to Cye that would have been bad. "Stop it, Sage! We're not your enemies!" Halo knocked him aside.

"It might not be Sage," Rowen called still crushed by the possibility. "That might be Dais!"

Behind his mouth guard, Sage smiled bitterly. _You won't take me with that,_ he thought. Hearing Ryo's quick, medium step behind him, he turned, locking eyes with his leader, and reflex bringing the nodachi up in time to lock with Ryo's twin swords.

"Now that's something I can fight!" Ryo hissed, wearing the armor of Wildfire.

Sage pushed hard with his arms, forcing the other back. Behind him gathered the other three, with varying expressions. From Cye's eyes clouded with worry, up to Ryo's, eager to fight. _Fine,_ he thought. He was weary, and convinced that despite the healing and the fact most of his wounds were essentially stitched, he was probably half dead. Didn't matter. _If it's a fight you want, I've still got some in me!_ He almost used his Thunderbolt Cut, but he still wasn't sure if they were real or not. If he could just cut one of them, if he felt flesh, then he could know whether or not to kill them. Holding his nodachi across his chest, he took a step forward, enforcing his stance. Waiting for them to make a move.

"I don't believe he's Dais," Cye said.

"Think about it, Cye," Kento said. "Would the real Sage attack us?"

"Because everyone's been acting so normally," Cye answered sarcastically.

Rowen looked at Ryo. "We shouldn't kill him, just in case."

"We'll see about that," Ryo said, and ran to meet Sage, making their metal sing.

Kento joined, and Rowen prowled the edge, looking for an opening where he could halt, without maiming.

Sage had his hands full. His movements and reaction were slowed, despite the pounding strength pouring from his armor. An advantage he still held over them, being completely attuned and fully part of Halo.

Kento swung hard, Ryo fast, and he had to avoid the frequent arrow. He couldn't always keep them in front of him. Ryo ran behind and slashed him across the back. Kento caught him in the ribs with a jarringly hard blow. He rolled before the golden arrow could pin him to the ground. He came up, breathing hard. Ryo cut him again, biting into the already exposed flesh left unprotected where his armor was torn. Kento caught his leg with the staff, and this time an arrow lodged in the shoulder joint of his armor, missing the actual bone. His sword hand.

Kento and Ryo came and stood over him.

"Finally gotcha," Ryo gloated. His eyes glittered.

"Now what do we do with him?" Kento asked.

"We give him what he deserves," Ryo answered with a strong note of finality.

_Dais._ It had to be. Sage's eyes narrowed to slits. Enemies, all of them! He'd made it this far, he wouldn't succumb to this last cruel trick. Sage gathered his strength, honed his focus. They would not kill him. He would not let them beat him! With a surge of adrenaline, wringing every last drop of power from Halo, he snapped the arrow, got his feet under him, and, directing his sword, pushed up hard with his legs. Surprised, Ryo tried to evade, but it still caught his side, ripping through the armor and slicing through the muscle beneath. Spinning, Halo swung with brutal strength, cutting deep through Kento's breastplate. With cries of pain, they both fell to the ground.

With a wordless shout of anger, Rowen shot at him again. This arrow flew straight and lodged itself deep in the muscle of his off shoulder.

Halo shrugged off the pain and walked purposefully towards the warrior in the dark blue armor, wielding the sword one handed. Rowen backed slowly away from him, shooting arrow after arrow at the approaching menace, but Halo knocked them all away. Until he backed up against the Jeep. With a grim smile Halo closed the gap and slashed up, slicing a tire, gouging the bow and scoring Rowen's arm, both of which he'd raised to protect himself. Rowen slid down the Jeep, holding the wounded arm with his good one and staring up at his executioner in defiance.

"No!" Cye shouted, drawing Sage's attention. He was behind them, standing up from Kento's side. "I won't let you do this, Sage."

"Cye, don't," Rowen groaned.

Halo took a few steps forward.

Cye closed his eyes and dismissed his armor, leaving himself in his shirt and pants. "Sage," he said, and his voice rang strong and clear with sincerity. "I trust you." Then he ran.

Halo placed the nodachi in front of him, poised so the young Brit would impale himself if he continued on this course.

"No!" Rowen shouted. "He'll kill you!" Cye did not stop, only kept his eyes locked on Sage's. His arm could barely respond, but Rowen drew back the bow again. As it fired, the bow that had served him so faithfully, broke in his hands. The last arrow, glinting gold in the strong sunlight, bore into Sage back, causing the tortured soul to fall to his knees. His sword still waited eagerly for the taste of another's blood.

_Sage,_ the words echoed through him. _I trust you. _It seemed his deeper consciousness floated on a wave of dim light, and his brother's words had woken him. He wondered for just a moment what was going on. Half a glance of the area reminded him. He hadn't really been able to take it, hearing them again. _We'll help you_, they said. This part of him had shut down then and there. Those tens of Kentos and Cyes, Ryos and Rowens, all saying the same things, all after his life. The arrow hit him, and he heard Rowen's anguished warning. He didn't want to show the weakness, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to rise again, but he dropped to his knees despite it. These had hurt him, too.

He risked another real look through his eyes. Cye was still coming. The road was wide, four lanes with a large space between the inbound and outbound directions, and they'd been on opposite sides, but he'd be here soon. Did Dais think he wouldn't do it? That he wouldn't let this one fall on his sword? The Warlord probably thought he'd chicken out at the last moment, and that's when he would be cut down. But those three, the thought snapped in his head. Hadn't he felt flesh beneath the armor? Hadn't there been something other than an empty metal skin?

_You smelled burning flesh, _a different voice seemed to suggest. _That wasn't real, either._

Sage looked again. The lad was still coming, fast. Still looking at him with those innocent blue eyes. And there! Sage almost sobbed. Running alongside Cye, step for step in the strong, pre-noon sun, was a shadow. He tried to lower the sword. Halo wouldn't budge.

"He's not an enemy!" Sage shouted internally.

"Wrong," The other voice said. "They will only keep you weak. Together we will always be strong. Without me," it whispered. "You would be nothing."

Sage tried to send it away, something that had always been easy.

It laughed. "Oh no you don't. We're together now. You finally accepted me, and I won't let you push me away again."

Sage flashed back to that horrible night with Kayura. The first time he'd lost control. It had happened again, and this time it was Cye whose life would drench that hateful sword. _Do something,_ he had to do something! He became acutely aware of how weak he was. Halo was the only thing that had sustained him this far, and now he was paying the price. Cye was almost to him! So close to death. Sage started sliding back into his body, taking possession, but when he tried again to move his sword, Halo fought back.

"You really want me gone?" Halo snarled, tangled in Sage's will. "You know you will die without me!"

Cye was only a few steps away now. And he took another.

It was likely true. Without the armor, his wounds might well claim him. A wave of peace swept through Sage. He became calm, and still. _That's okay,_ he thought. _It would be better than living with my brother's blood on my hands._ He let the feeling grow. He stopped struggling. With a deep breath, he willed Halo away.

Breeze ruffled his hair, and he could feel the warmth of the sun. It only emphasized the growing cold behind his closed eyes.

_He won't hurt me,_ Cye thought as he ran to Sage. He believed it. He heard Rowen, how could he not? _No, he won't. _Then Rowen shot him again, and it tore at Cye's heart. In just a few seconds, he would prove it. This was not Dais, and none of this, the pain, the blood, the suffering, was an illusion. He saw a flash in the dull eyes. _Yes!_ He willed Sage on. He was almost there, betting his life on Sage.

He saw the sword quiver. _You can do it!_ He was close enough now to see that the other's eyes were stricken with fear. _Don't be afraid. I know you won't hurt me._ The pale purple eyes closed. Cye refused to waver, refused to be afraid as he came within meters, then centimeters of the blade waiting for him. It was angled up so that if he hit, it was sure to kill him. Three steps away, two. One.

The point pierced his breast, then disappeared. The familiar blond hair replaced the pointed, intimidating helmet. Instead of armor, Sage's standard slacks and nice shirt, bloodied and tattered now. His empty hands fell to his sides, and he began to fall backwards.

Cye slid to a stop, catching him before his weight drove the arrows deeper. "I've got you," he held him fiercely, and tears welled freely. "I've got you."

Rowen walked over and stared, shocked. It really was Sage. Shame welled up inside him, and he dismissed Strata. He looked at what they had all done to each other, what they had done to their lost brother. Two signs of his own handiwork waved proudly in the zephyrs.

He looked up to see Kento stagger over and drop beside Sage. His armor was gone, too. He was bleeding. It would take time for his chest to heal, and it would scar, but he was tough.

Ryo made it over, too, holding his side. He couldn't say anything, looking down at Sage, sending Wildfire away. If Sage wasn't dead, he didn't know if anything could save him. He couldn't accept it, he couldn't believe that, in the end, they would be the cause of his death. His eyes met Rowen's.

"I'll try to get help," Rowen said, his accent thin.

"Isn't it too late for that?" Ryo asked doubtfully, eyeing Sage's unnaturally pale complexion and ashen lips. The only color on his face, it seemed, was the drying stain of his own blood.

"No," Kento said, holding Sage's hand tightly. "He's still alive." He turned to Rowen. "We'll keep him here." When he still hesitated, he said urgently, "Hurry!"

Rowen jumped and started running back up the hill they'd come down. With its destroyed tire, the Jeep was useless.

"Stay with us, Sage," Kento said, stroking the blond hair with his other hand. "We're here now, and we want to see you again." His voice was soft and tender. Years of practice as an oldest brother. "We all love ya, man."

"Yeah," Cye croaked. "We won't let you go."

Sage continued to breathe shallowly, each passing moment a miracle.


	12. Light at the End of the Tunnel

Chapter 12

Memories seemed jumbled together, rubbing and crashing like stones in a shaken bag. Memories of war and blood, pain and betrayal, some less clear then others. They were presided over by a strong sense of failure.

It had been so quiet, so blissfully peaceful. What had woken him back to this world of pain and confusion, and hollowness? There it was again. A gentle waft of jasmine, strong and delicate. Well balanced. The slight flutter of a sheer curtain to his right. Silk sheets. Someone else's breath. Slowly, he opened his eyes. It was bright, probably early morning. His gaze roamed the room. A glass case with trophies, several large bookshelves full of classics and thought provokers. A well organized desk set just back of the window. He knew there was an old, well cared for record player on the other side. On his left would be a cherished mahogany violin. His old room? It didn't make sense.

He looked to his left, the sight of his mother causing a quick spike on the heart monitor, even though it was her perfume that he had recognized.

Her head lifted off his bed, and she looked alarmed, then meeting his eyes, they shone with joy. "Sage," she whispered, taking his face in her hands and kissing his forehead.

"Hello, Mother," he said. He should have been happy to see her, but the foreign emptiness inside seemed to swallow up any of it.

"I was so worried about you," she said brushing his hair out of his face, then sitting again by the bed.

"I'm fine," he said, sitting up. Not as easy as it should have been. Moving with an easy grace, she slid another pillow behind his back to support him. She sat back down, brushing an errant blond lock back from her divine face. She really didn't look Japanese at all. And snorted most unladylike. "You're getting better," she shook her head. " 'Fine' is not the word the doctor used to describe your condition when we got the call." She took his hand, and he felt hers tremble. "Sage, she asked, hoping he would be as honest with her now as he had always been. "What happened? Your friends only said that you had fought honorably against an evil man. Are they your friends?"

"Yes," he said slowly, trying to unknot and disentangle memories. He remembered that they'd fought together, fought for each other, and a vague echo of a feeling said that he had suffered and bled for them. But hadn't they caused some of this pain, as well? He trusted the older memories, they felt solid, lacking the strange shifting quality of more recent events. "In truth, Mother, I don't remember everything, but I'm not sure you would believe me if I told you what I did." Another woman, screaming, brought a queasiness to his stomach. His hand gripped the sheet. "I don't know if I could bring myself to tell you, everything."

She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "You've always told me the truth, Sage, at least as you saw it. I will believe what you tell me. If you can't explain, or can't say some things now, I accept that. But my dear son, I want very much to understand something of what happened. I hadn't heard from you in over a month, and then a week ago, I found out you were all but dead in a hospital outside Takamodo!" She blinked away tears. "This is the first time you've been conscious. We flew you to a private hospital until you were stabilized. We brought you home just yesterday."

He let out a long breath.

"I'm sorry," she said, patting his hand and getting up. "I shouldn't be making you talk. I should let you rest."

He didn't release her hand. "No, it's okay. Trust me, a little bit of talking won't kill me." He smiled at her until she sat down again. "Just promise you won't tell father, please?"

It wasn't the first time he'd asked her that. She nodded. "I promise."

He nodded his head in thanks. "Until I sort everything out, there's not much I can tell you," he began, relaxing on the pillows and closing his eyes, as much out of fatigue as in concentration. Her touch on his hand told him she was listening. "You've heard about the attacks, especially on the larger cities, with the dark clouds?"

"Yes," her sweet voice brought him comfort..

"I was there, with the others. The clouds, and the gate lead to the realm of a cruel tyrant. His name is Talpa, and his domain is called the Dynasty. We, the five of us, all came into possession of mythical suits of armor, the only weapons that have any real effect on Talpa, his army, and his generals. We've been fighting them, but they're gone now." Her perfume, his books, and the comforts of home were making him drowsy. "There was a, complication with wearing the armors. I didn't know until," He did a little math. "About ten days ago." He sighed. It seemed so much longer. "The fighting strengthened a corruption that spread to the wearer. But that's a long story. Some things, happened, and I made the decision to fight alone. There were consequences that I judged inadvisable to expose the others to further. I thought I could face it, Mother, I thought I could be strong."

She squeezed his hand. "I will not judge you. Whatever it is that happened, you never need fear that I will be ashamed of you, or that I will withdraw my love. Do you understand?"

Tears slid from the corners of his eyes. "Yes, but you don't."

"Thank you, Sage, for talking to me. "Do you need to rest now?"

He was tired, but not just yet. "Would you let my brothers in? I feel I need to speak to them."

"Alright," she said. "Should I let the man in, too? You've only mentioned four others, but he claims to be a friend of yours, as well."

_Anubis._ "Yes, he is. Thank you."

"I know I kept you talking, but you should try to rest soon. You are still weak. I love you."

"I know."

He dozed until he heard feet pounding up the stairs and at the landing before his room. Cye opened the door, Kento on his heels. Ryo, Rowen, and Anubis followed close, but with less shining exuberance.

"You're awake!" Cye cried happily.

"Lookin' good, man!" Kento sat carefully at the end of his bed. Cye took the other side.

"How're you feeling?" Ryo asked walking a little stiffly still. He stopped at his bedside.

"I've been worse, I think," Sage answered, making the effort to keep his eyes open. He received them with mixed feelings, though his spirits were lifted. Yet something still felt missing.

Rowen stood on his other side, a suspicious bulge trying to hide under his sleeve. Anubis hung back, glad to see the young man awake and mending, but unsure he belonged.

"Nice place," Rowen said. "Your mom's been real nice to us. She's been letting us stay in some of the extra rooms here."

"She's beautiful!" Kento said.

"I haven't seen your dad," Cye said. "But it's not hard to guess who you take after."

"Show me," Sage said quietly. For some reason he couldn't stand this small talk. Beneath the jovial surfaces, everyone seemed tense and nervous, barely comfortable with each other, and they seemed almost completely unsure of where they stood with him. So much had happened between them all. Maybe he was going about things the wrong way, but right now, seeing them, all he could wonder was how badly he had hurt them.

"That's not necessary," Rowen said, glad he was wearing long sleeves. "You shouldn't worry about that."

"I need to know," Sage insisted, not quite able to meet their eyes.

Ryo believed he understood. He lifted his shirt up, exposing the ugly gash. The flesh was purpleish, and still slightly swollen around the stitches. It was actually healing well, and he had been assured it would all be fine. "It's not as bad as it looks," he said self consciously, letting it back down. His eyes flitted to Sage's bandages.

Kento rolled his shirt up. "They won't take the stitches out yet," he complained. It covered almost the whole breadth of his chest, angling slightly. It had gone deep, but clean, and Kento was muscular, saving him from worse damage.

Sighing, Rowen slid his shirtsleeve up. Being an arm, he hadn't had as much protection. It was in a cast from his wrist to his elbow. "Got into the bone a little. It'll take a while, but I'll get full mobility and strength back."

Cye pulled his shirt up, over his heart. "You can't even see it," he said, an odd look on his face. He put a finger on the spot. "Just a nick."

Sage shuddered. "I almost killed you." His voice sank to match his spirit. "All of you."

"We put worse hurt on you," Rowen said, ashamed. "We came close to finishing you off. After all you did."

Sage shook his head slowly. "No, it was my fault. I don't remember much of that last day, but enough to know. The lack of memory is indicative in itself." He raised his head, subconsciously squaring his shoulders. "I am sorry. An apology is not enough to atone. I understand this, but at the moment, it is all I can offer." He sighed. "I understand if you cannot be around me. You don't have to stay, I will not blame you."

"I'm not going anywhere," Cye said, grabbing Sage's foot, since it was the closes thing.

"Count me in!" Kento gave him a thumbs up and a grin.

"I let you go once," Rowen said, gently putting a hand on Sage's shoulder. "If this is what happens, I better keep a closer eye on you."

"Me too," Ryo smiled.

Sage was satisfied. It may not be that he was forgiven, but they had decided, at least for the time, to accept it. It was getting hard to stay awake. "Anubis?"

""Yes, young wa-Sage?" Anubis answered, coming also to his bedside.

"Your staff?"

"Broken, as you fear. But, just as your weapons can be reforged, and your armors repaired, I have great hope it also can be restored."

"What about the armors?" Sage asked. "I did not have the presence of mind to take them."

"I found them all," Anubis assured him. "I have them in a safe place."

Sage sighed in relief. "There is still an important matter," he said, and relayed what Dais had told him. What he had called the truth. It dismayed everyone in the room. Speaking over their lamentations and protests, which wasn't easy, Sage asked, "What do you think, Anubis? Was there truth in what he said?"

Anubis seemed to hesitate. His face looked pained, and he eyed those around him as in fear of retribution. Another moment of indecision, then he spoke, committing himself to the truth. "Yes, he did not give you lies." His regret was unquestionable. "I helped create the abominable plan."

Ryo came the closest to angry. For a moment, it looked like he would sling either words or fists, but instead, he sat in the chair Sage's mother had left, and held both back.

Anubis felt encouraged to continue. "When under Talpa's control, there's very little on your mind besides wreaking havoc and pleasing him. I have since become quite ashamed of myself. I planned, once this was all over, to see what I could do to remedy the situation. I don't have all of my predecessor's knowledge and wisdom, but I do have an understanding of how Talpa works, and the tools he uses. Perhaps I can find a way to reverse the effects, or at least to slow the process. I have much to learn." He inclined his head. "It had been my hope, and the hope of my predecessor that keeping you together, encouraging you to function as a group would prevent you from becoming afflicted by the malady."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier, by the stream?" Sage inquired, wondering if it would have made a difference.

Anubis sighed. "I have no questions on your courage, Sage, but I did not see how it had bearing worth illuminating on your situation. It seemed that such a communication would serve only to dishearten you, and perhaps make you distrust me, in a moment where you needed support. Also, my time with Talpa, and the things I have done do not make me proud, and I often want nothing more than to atone for it, however I can. Perhaps I did the wrong thing, and if I did, then I am most sorry." His eyes turned inwards. "We all have our sins."

"I'm glad you are with us," Sage said, relaxing back into the pillows.

"Thank you," Anubis took his leave. "So am I."

" I guess we should let you rest," Ryo said, rising. The others quietly rose, too.

Sage's words were slightly slurred as his body called him to slumber. "How much do you know?"

The others looked at each other, unsure whether this was a question that should wait to be answered.

"We found Sekhmet's grave," Rowen answered. "And buried Lady Kayura."

"So, then, you saw?"

"Yes."

"And do you now see, a monster?"

"No, Sage," Rowed said. "You're a hero."

"But I, failed," Sage said thickly, unable to overcome his need for sleep.

"Why do you say that?" Cye asked, but Sage didn't hear him. The blond's hands opened, relaxed, his head tilted to the side, and his chin drooped. Perfectly natural.

"We'll find out later," Kento said, patting Cye on the shoulder.

Quietly, they left his room, and closed the door softly behind them.

* * *

And here the main action has ended. That does not, however, mean Sage's story is over. When I was writing this, I kept trying to stop about here, but there were some scenes developing in my head that simply refused to let this be the end. I wasn't satisfied, either. Sage still had to face the consequences of his actions, and they weren't pretty. How will it be resolved?


	13. Close Your Eyes, For Night Shall Come

Chapter 13

It was a cold early morning at the coast line a month later. Mia and Yulie had wanted to come, but the Ronins had all agreed. This was for them.

In the dawning light, Anubis stood with his back to the ocean. Five small white boxes lay at his feet. Here was proof Sage had won this war. Here was proof he was a killer. The wind was strong and chill, carrying a taste of the salty sea. Its voice a deep, bittersweet tone, crying across the rocky shore they stood on.

"Are you ready?" Anubis asked.

They all nodded. He had already explained what they needed to do. They called their armors. Instead of donning them, they were set in front, facing their bearers.

Sage couldn't take his eyes off of Halo. The blood was gone, but its damage was still evident. So this was what they'd seen. Sekhmet, Kayura, Dais, and Cale. This was the weapon that had almost killed the people close to him, the ones he stood with now. If he had slaughtered them, where would it have ended? Would he have stopped? Seeing it now, inanimate like this, the questions he'd suppressed surfaced again. Had it truly twisted him? Or had the power it granted merely given him an outlet for a darkness he had not before seen in himself? It was hard not to reach for that power, for the strength he had once come to rely on. Especially now, when he was about to send it away, forever. Talpa would not return in his lifetime. Even if he did, Halo would choose someone younger, fitter.

With the others, he went through the short process of releasing claim, severing the connections between them. Even as Halo shimmered, disappearing into its own white box, Sage was almost sure he could hear its mocking laughter, remembering his weakness. Was that it also, mourning over the things they would not do together, or his own voice? His shiver had nothing to do with the cold.

Kento put a hand on his shoulder, misunderstanding. "We'll be done soon."

Sage nodded. Stooping, he picked the box up and handed it to Anubis. "Thank you," he said and stepped back.

Ryo, Rowen, Kento, and Cye followed his lead. Their faces reflected confusion as to how exactly they felt, but relief seemed predominant.

"Will we see you again?" Cye asked as Anubis prepared to leave.

"I very much doubt it," he answered with a touch of sadness. "I have much to do, and a great deal to learn. You have your lives to live, and I hope it will be far from all of this. But I will always remember each of you." He smiled. "I owe you much. Thank you for setting me free. Thank you for trusting me to help you, as limited as it sometimes was. Serving you has been my greatest honor."

"The honor was ours," Ryo responded, and the five of them bowed in respect.

Anubis returned the gesture. "Sage," he said, surprising the distracted young man. "It is hard to say how things would have turned out if you had not followed your heart, but it is very likely a great deal more damage would have been done, to your world and your loved ones, if you had not so bravely placed yourself on the line. We may not have won at all, and all five of you may have been lost. I know you must be struggling with the costs of your sacrifice, but believe me when I say you are honorable, and rare is it to find a more noble, courageous heart."

Half a heartbeat, and Cye's trust would have thrust him upon that blade, stopping only one of four hearts that deserved this praise far more than he. "Thank you," he said, bowing again. "But I did nothing to deserve your words. I am no greater than the men with me. I should thank you, for having the courage to face yourself, and the strength to fight with us. Not every man could overcome your circumstances. The mantle and responsibilities of the Ancient One fell to good shoulders, and I thank you for the sacrifice you make in retaining it."

"It is a pleasure," Anubis bowed. He had managed to repair his staff, and, finishing the ritual, with each of the boxes arranged on a spoke around the circle in which he stood, he brought it down three times. On the third, he and the armors disappeared, leaving the ringing echo to resound one last time in the little caves and crannies the ocean had carved into the rock face. It seemed to last an extra long moment in the breeze, a sweet, sweet sound they were not to hear again.

Taking Anubis' place, the sun continued to rise steadily, growing brighter, a little warmer. As curtains opening to the main attraction, the pink and orange of the sky around it receded, growing dimmer and melting into the daily blue. Its touch didn't bring the same rejuvenating tingle as it fell full on Sage's face. It was something he would miss. If he could ever feel loss again.

Cye inhaled deeply. "Hey guys, it looks like we've got our lives back."

"It'll be strange," Ryo said. "With no Dynasty and no armor. It seems that's all our lives had become."

"Yeah," Rowen agreed with a smile. "It will be even harder trying to not be bored at school now."

"I sure didn't expect that," Kento said, hands in his pockets. "When I went to the store to pick up bread for Mom. That box was just sitting there on a big rock I always passed on the trail home. I somehow knew it was for me."

The wind blew again sharply, creeping under their coats. Sage shivered slightly. Four weeks in bed had left him thin and relatively weak.

"We should go back inside," Rowen suggested, noticing.

'Inside' meant the comfortable beach house owned by Sage's family. Being off season, they had it to themselves with no argument. Sage's mother seemed willing to give them almost anything they wanted, and treated the other boys second only to her son.

"I'd decided to go swimming in the river," Cye said as they wandered slowly back across the rocks. "My aunt that I was staying with told me not to. She said the current was too strong." He laughed. "I got tired of her saying I couldn't do it, so one day when she was gone, I jumped in."

"You little rebel!" Rowen elbowed him. "Who knew?"

"Yeah well, the current was a bit stronger than I'd bargained for. I got sucked down to the bottom, and guess what I found?"

"A rock!" Kento joked.

"A mermaid," Rowen guessed.

"No," Cye said slightly exasperated.

"A teapot," Sage said forcing a smile. The others laughed. It was so hard to keep this up.

"A whale," Ryo said to more laughter. "You could tell because of the tall tail."

"Very funny you guys," Cye rolled his eyes. "I did make it back up, even with the box. How about you, Rowen?"

"Falling star."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously. I was looking through my telescope during our Honor Student tour of Japan, when I noticed a meteorite. It actually fell right to me. Somehow I never really thought to question it. Your turn, Ryo."

"I was walking White Blaze through his old forest home where I'd found him as a cub. There'd actually been a fire at the time when I rescued him. So I took him back to see the new growth. It was sitting there, waiting for me."

The talking stopped for a minute. Sage finally realized they were hoping he would share his story, too. "It's not very interesting," he said.

"Come on man, spill!" Kento prompted.

"I remember thinking that morning, as I was tuning my violin, that my life felt empty, in a way, as if I hadn't accomplished anything worthy. I went to the garden to meditate, as usual. It was just there in the sunlight when I'd finished, sitting among the," He stopped suddenly. The others looked at him in concern. Swallowing hard, he finished. "In with the kale."

"Violin, huh?" Kento said, trying to turn Sage's mind from unpleasant thoughts. "And here my bet was on piano."

"That's what my Mother plays," Sage said. He really didn't want to talk anymore. Couldn't they leave him alone so he could drop this act?

"Is she really good at it?" Cye asked as they reached the house, though they had all heard her play.

"The best."

It was good and warm inside. The fireplace in the main room was fake, but realistic. The boys shrugged out of their coats, and Cye put the pot on to make hot chocolate. Rowen had introduced them to the stuff and it had been a big hit. They gathered in the main room, taking up the big couch and stuffed chairs.

On a pretense, Sage went upstairs to the room he and Rowen shared. He would have preferred a room to himself, but there weren't enough rooms for each of them. It would have sounded out of place if he had asked for an arrangement different from what they'd settled for in the past. He didn't want them to see him as different.

Raucous laughter bellowed up the stairwell, and he closed the door on it. The smile left his face and he closed the curtains, drawing no pleasure from the seeking brightness. Sage slumped to his bed. He couldn't keep doing this, lying to everyone, and to himself. He no longer knew who he was. Every night he woke up, drenched in sweat from unrepeatable dreams. Since he'd first been drug from the wonderful wallow of unconsciousness in his room back home, he could seem only to feel the numbness. It was as if he had turned, overnight, into a brittle, hollow shell, filled only with an endless void. The others, the four below, his Mother, other friends and acquaintances had all tried so hard to help him recover, especially the ones who had a small idea of what had really happened. After all of their love and attention, trying to make him feel happy and comfortable, nothing had filled that void. He, again, was only wasting their energy and efforts, no one could help him. Sage was sure he couldn't be helped. There was nothing to him, anymore. He appreciated their efforts, and so tried hard to make them think it worked.

At first, he'd hoped that maybe, living the lie would restore some part of him, something he could hang onto. Instead, he was lying to his Mother for the first time since he was four years old, and misleading the people who were determined to stick it out with him.

By now, he remembered everything. He couldn't seem to see the connection between that Sage, and the one he struggled out of bed with in the morning. He didn't know how he had done those things, all those criminal, abominable acts, and, with all things accounted, he didn't see that he'd done anything good. All he could see was when he was trying to kill the very same people he'd claimed to protect. When he'd allowed himself to fall to the siren lure of another's will, and had willingly butchered men, and a woman.

He hadn't talked about it to anyone, after first waking up. Not to his friends, not to his mother. The more he remembered, the less he could bring himself to discuss. And then he just couldn't care. He knew the others were giving him space, not asking. Waiting for him to be ready.

He wasn't going to be ready. Ever. The Sage that had done all those things, that wasn't him. But those memories... Those things he had done were starkly pressed permanently behind his eyes, visible whenever he blinked. Horrible. He was too horrible. The Sage from before might have been able to overcome this. He might have been able to find meaning in what came after, reached within himself to tap depths of strength untouched. But he was not the Sage this man saw in the mirror. The old Sage would never have considered what he now had resolved on. Sage could not live with this, anymore. If the others could look inside him, he was convinced they would see how little was being lost. For just a little longer, he would try his hardest. He'd leave them with some good memories.

Sage readjusted his smile, and went back downstairs. It didn't matter he didn't know who he was, it only mattered they believed he was who they wanted him to be.

Cye pressed a steaming cup into his hand when he came into the main room. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Sage smiled.

"Hey, Sage!" Kento called from the couch. "We ordered out for some pizza, hope you don't mind."

"Pizza sounds great," Sage said, taking a deep, overstuffed armchair.

"You really don't mind pizza for breakfast?" Rowen asked, surprised.

"Hey, why not? I need some more meat on these ribs."

"Just don't complain when you start to look like Kento," Ryo joked warningly.

"There's nothing wrong with this body," Kento flexed. "Why I'm stronger than any of you!"

"Yeah," Cye waved his hand in front of his nose. "Tell me about it."

"Why you!" Kento grabbed at him, but Cye ducked, laughing, out of the way.

"Little slow there, buddy," Rowen said from his seat on the back of the couch. "Sure you want that pizza?"

Kento's smile turned mischievous. Quickly, he grabbed the couch and tipped it over backwards, tumbling Rowen to the floor. "Pretty sure, yeah."

"Easy guys," Ryo said, chuckling. "We don't want to trash the place.

"Yeah," Cye agreed, helping Kento put it properly back in place. "We don't want to upset Mrs. Date."

"Sage would get yelled at, too, huh?" Kento said, plopping back onto the righted furniture. "How much does she yell at you, man?"

"Not often," Sage obliged. "We usually see eye to eye."

"I knew it!" Kento shouted. "Sage always stays out of trouble."

_Is that what you'll call all this?_ "Not exactly what I meant. We've had plenty of discussions." He didn't want to talk about it, so he changed the subject. "She seems to like you guys."

"I wouldn't say she approves, necessarily," Rowen said. "She keeps looking at my hair like its unnatural."

"She tells me to sit straight in my chair," Kento lamented.

"She offered to buy me new clothes," Cye plucked at his horrid plaid pants. "What's wrong with what I wear?"

"Sometimes I wonder if she thinks there's something wrong with me," Ryo said. "But she hasn't said anything. She's actually very kind."

"She could be a queen," Cye said.

"I heard she almost was," Kento said. "I heard a prince liked her, and her family was reconsidering her pre-arranged marriage to Date, but he ended up with someone else."

"Where did you hear that?" Ryo asked disbelievingly.

Kento glanced away self consciously. "One of her maids."

"Oh," Cye jabbed at him. "Did Kento see a pretty face?"

"Most girls are," Kento said defensively. "Is it true, Sage?"

"I've heard the rumors as well," he stated. "She's never said anything to me about it."

Rowen saw the clouded look in his friend's eyes. "Come on guys, you sound like a couple of gossiping maids yourselves."

There was a knock on the door. "Food!" Kento leapt off the couch.

"At least his priorities are still straight," Ryo laughed and got up to help him.

* * *

Cye's pants really are terrible, I think. Anyone got the number to the fashion police? In the next chapter, Sage makes his attempt. Is this the one thing he isn't strong enough to rise above?


	14. Not Your Sunset

Chapter 14

After breakfast, they played a traditional Japanese game. Cye and Kento were still learning, but that made it all the more fun. It was early afternoon, and they could see the wind had stopped. The sunshine was strong, and opening the door, they found it had turned into a remarkably beautiful day. Ryo, Cye, and Kento decided to go into town for some keepsake shopping and whatever good fun came their way.

"I think I'll stay," Sage said in response to their invitation. "It sounds fun, but I think I'll take a walk instead."

"I'll stay, too," Rowen said, then explained. "I borrowed some books from the Date's library. They're fascinating, but I haven't had much time to read."

"Well try to have fun without us," Ryo grinned.

"You kidding?" Rowen said in kind. "It'll be a break! Some peace and quiet sounds good, right, Sage?"

"Yeah," Sage said. "But I appreciate the good times. Goodbye guys, stay out of trouble."

"Uh-oh!" Kento said. "He's turning into his mom!"

"We better go before he tells us not to track sand in," Cye said happily.

With a general chorus of goodbyes, they were on their way. True to his word, Rowen retrieved an old tome and set up before the false fire. It was time. Calmly, Sage grabbed a sweater and opened the door.

"Don't overdo it," Rowen advised, his eyes glued to the second edition pages.

"I'll be fine soon," Sage promised, and closed the door behind him.

Outside, he took a deep breath, wondering if the door had always sounded like that. The salty air had no effect on him.

There was a beautiful spot he had loved to visit on summer trips with his mother. It was over three kilometers, but he was sure he could get there. He was still very sore, and his strength and endurance seemed a fraction of what they had been. He could take it slow. He wouldn't be missed for a couple of hours at least. It was in the opposite direction they had gone earlier to relinquish the armors. He was good with that.

The weather stayed kind as he picked his way along the sand and rocks. Seagulls cried as they flew above him, or squawked to each other as they hopped about on the rocks. The tide was low for now, and Sage noticed a perfect shell lying in the sand, and struck by its simplistic beauty, he picked it up. Reflecting he wouldn't need it, he placed it on a high rock for another to find. There was no one else in sight. Sage was blessedly alone.

He'd been counting on that, and he knew this stretch of beach looked comparatively unappealing from the parking areas, discouraging heavy pedestrian traffic. From here, he couldn't yet see the place he was heading towards, but it wasn't too much farther. It was a statistic improbability, but it had always felt like this particular cliff peak was a place known only to his mother and himself.

Sage wasn't entirely sure it was right, doing this at that revered place. He did not want to taint it for his Mother, or ruin the magic nature that seemed to set it apart from the rest of the world, yet he couldn't think of anywhere more fitting. Besides, it would be like taking his wonderful memories of her and their time together with him. Wouldn't she like that? If she understood? In truth, he hoped none of them would know what he would soon have done. He hoped they would think he'd accidentally slipped in his weakened condition. It was easier to see things this way. He knew they would be hurt, but that couldn't be helped.

The shore seemed to disappear, melting in the shadow of the tall cliffs above. There, at the base, just above the water level when it wasn't high tide, was a narrow path that curved with the rock face. Sage took it carefully. This wasn't where he wanted to let the ocean take him.

It didn't look like it from the side he'd come, but the cliff hollowed out into a lovely little cove. Calm, sandy beach was relieved by a tall, long tongue of rock that went far enough out from the shore. It started low, then raised high at the end, like an outstretched hand reaching to the sky.

He walked slowly along the undisturbed sand, almost enjoying returning to this beloved haven. The sunshine still warmed the air well. He knew from other trips the sunset would be in full view from here. Judging from the angle of the light slanting in, that would be soon. He smiled, remembering times when he and his mother had taken a boat in here, sneaking away from the stresses of the world. It faded quickly. The guys would have liked to see this, too.

Waves lapped the sand gently, their subtle sound echoing still in the shadowed recesses of the cove. It looked the sort of place mermaids would visit on nights watched closely by the eye of the full moon. He could imagine their laughter ringing pleasantly in this hidden retreat. But if his experiences had taught Sage anything, he believed it was that magic did not exist. Fanciful flights of imagination were nothing more than cleverly lit illusions, destined always to crash upon the solid, harsh edges of reality.

Reality itself was a fleeting construct of energy. A misplaced notion whose bubble would always break on Death's ever present, unavoidable touch. The thought of being free of all illusions was comforting. For so long, he had fought in the light, pouring all his efforts into preserving its touch, when darkness was the only true taste, after all. Eventually, they would all see this truth. Inescapable. Surely there couldn't really be anything wrong with embracing it sooner? Wasn't the truth beautiful?

Sage found his contemplative steps had carried him halfway up the slope. More consciously, he reached the lip of the pier. The afternoon sky had not begun quite to change colors. He had time yet. He sat on the precipice, cross-legged, and stared out over the ocean.

He had wondered what this moment would feel like, if he would hesitate, or rethink. As he stared out over the expansive ocean, he felt completely calm. This was the most peaceful he had felt in such a long time.

Soon, he would step off, he would sink into the cold water. It would fill his nostrils and mouth. His survival instinct would kick in, trying against his will to keep him alive. Out here, he was too far from shore to make the swim back, especially in his condition. Likely the current would bear him away. There would be panic as liquid instead of air filled his lungs. The salt water would sting his eyes as he was dragged forever from what could sustain him. He would be lost to the ocean's embrace. He knew it would be anything but pleasant, but it was sure. The falsely gentle sound of water lapping against the craggy rock was a lullaby, and the only sound in this isolated haven.

The slightest change in color. This was his last wish, to see those vivid colors once more, and that they would be his witness. He was ready. The colors deepened, burnishing the sky with smoky orange and gilded red. On the edges, blue and teal began the subtle transformation to sleepy gray and dusted midnight. Sage stood. Took the step. His toes peeked over the edge. His shoulders were firm, his face set. _Goodbye._

"No! You idiot!"

Sage was startled as much by the voice as the hand that grabbed his sweater and yanked him backwards, hard. He landed painfully on his still tender back and shoulder. Rowen had fallen to his knees next to him. The sunset had reached its zenith.

"What do you think you're doing?" Rowen gasped, his voice trembling with anger, his body with fear.

Sage groaned miserably. "You wouldn't understand." He tried to rise.

Rowen pushed him back down roughly with his good hand. "No, not yet. You have to explain this to me."

"What are you doing here, Rowen? Why couldn't you just leave me alone?"

"That's been the problem this whole time, hasn't it?" Rowen said, regaining control of his breathing. His heart still thumped wildly. "We, I left you alone, and now none of us can seem to get close to you again. Sage, you're not talking to anybody, you've withdrawn. You've been keeping everything inside. It's all been left there to fester. Just talk to us, we want to listen."

"How could I ever tell you?" Sage's voice was strained, his eyes watering. "Rowen, the things I've done, he did, the things I saw. I just can't face it, I can't live with the horror and the nightmares anymore."

"Do you think its easy for the rest of us?" Rowen asked in astonishment.

"You didn't do anything reprehensible."

The colors were beginning their decline. Evening's Dance of the Changing Veil was slowing elegantly to its delicate close.

"Is that really what you think? Every day, Sage, every day, I have to face you with the knowledge that I tried to _kill_ you. Every day I have to face you knowing that I was aiming here!" He stabbed the finger of his left hand to Sage's beating heart. His voice was hoarse. "Here! Kento and Ryo feel almost the same."

"You were only defending yourselves from me. Can't you see that?" If only he could make him understand that it was he who was the abomination.

"Whatever happened, that wasn't you," Rowen took his hand away. "Anubis explained what he knew to us. I can't imagine how much of that armor you had to incorporate to survive. That was the armor Sage, not you. As for this," he held his wounded arm up, yanking the sleeve back to fully expose it. "I am more glad than you know that you did this, to me, and to Ryo and Kento. Sage, we felt you _die_, or at least we believed we did. So when we saw you, and everything happened, I thought you must have been Dais. We would have murdered you, if you hadn't stopped us." His voice was fervent as he tried to make Sage understand. "We're still alive, Sage, and you are, too. Because of it. I am grateful for this beyond words, and don't you even think you'd hear a different story from the others."

"I'm already dead, Rowen, this is just a formality."

"No you're not." Rowen said surely. "Guilt, and depression are natural things to feel, Sage. Going to this extreme is not. I've heard you in the night, I know it's all terrible, and overwhelming, but that's what we're here for. You aren't dead, and I will prove it to you."

Sage gave up hope that Rowen would understand, would see his pain and allow him to take the cure. He still saw only that day, where Sage saw every day and night before it. He briefly considered what Rowen had said, and it was clear he meant it all. But that did not exonerate Sage, that did not purge the nightmares and expunge the demon. Only one thing would. The sun seemed almost to have slowed, waiting for him.

"Why don't you talk to us? It will help you, and we won't think you're terrible, no matter what. We're with you, Sage. We're on your side."

Sage shook his head. Rowen didn't know what he was saying. There was no way he could confess to them, when their blood was on his hands.

Rowen sighed. "All right then. If you can't talk to me, you should at least talk to your mother." He smiled. "Okay?"

Only one thing would. "Okay," Sage smiled back weakly.

Rowen stood back and gave him a hand up. "Let's get you back before it gets too chilly out." His movement began back towards the beach, not drawing ahead by more than his body's width, but still a suggestion to the other.

In that moment, Sage pivoted quickly and ran for the edge. One step on the solid rock, the next on nothing, and he was falling.

His descent was only momentary. Rowen's good hand latched onto Sage's arm in a steely grip.

"Why, Sage?" he asked desperately, sprawled atop the overhang. "Didn't you listen to anything I said? Do we matter that little to you?"

"You matter," Sage said, struggling, distressed by the question. "You all mean more than anything else."

His wriggling was making Rowen's hand slip. "If you don't stop fighting me, I'm going to tell your mother what you're trying to do."

No, it would hurt her too much if she knew. Sage became still. "Just let me go, Rowen, please."

Though he had lost weight, he was still a strain to hold on to. Rowen was afraid he would drop him, scared to death he would lose him. "I did that once," he said, the night he had seen Sage leave one of the greatest regrets of his life. Even at that, it seemed so long ago. "I let you go, without any questions, and I wish I hadn't. I wish I'd stopped you from going on that insane trip. I won't let go this time." His hand slipped to Sage's wrist. How much longer could he hold him? He had to stop this. "If you fall, Sage," he voice hardened in resolve. "Then I'm going, too. If you're that set on this, then I'm going with you."

Sage's eyes widened. "No! You can't! Rowen, you have so much to live for!"

Rowen grew angry. "And you don't? Do you have any idea how selfish you're being? You're so caught up in your own pain you aren't even thinking about what your death would do to us, to your mother. She misses you, Sage, she told me she would give anything to hear you play your violin for her again. To laugh, or even truly smile, for the haunted look in your eyes to disappear. You've got so much to offer the world, so much to experience. So you can't throw it all away, you owe it to yourself." Sweat trickled down his forehead. "You are stronger than this, you can get through this!"

"I can't," Sage said, truths being dragged from him. "I'm not the same Sage that did those things, I'm not the Sage that could. I, he failed, he killed you. Can't you see that he's a monster? The memories," he shuddered. "I'm not worth anything anymore. I don't know who I am, besides something left over from what _he_ was, I can't bear it! I don't want to live anymore."

Rowen gritted his teeth as he tightened his hand against the slow slide of Sage's. "That's not true. If you had really wanted to die, you would have already done it. You fought so hard to survive. When I ran to get help, I was sure, with every step I believed you had to be gone. I didn't think anyone could have survived your injuries, but you made it. I don't know how you think you failed, but if you don't take my hand I'm going to make you tell me in the afterlife."

No response. Sage was still slipping. Rowen couldn't pull him up, he was sure to lose his hold if he tried. _Please, Sage,_ he begged, _don't let me drop you._

Sage could feel his hand sliding through Rowen's determined grip as well. Selfish? He supposed it was. But was it fair to ask him to suffer like this, so they could be satisfied? He knew if he didn't do it now, he never would, yet he had trouble doubting Rowen's promise. The American really would plunge in after him, meeting the same fate. Sage sighed internally. The sun was almost gone, sunken halfway into the limitless depths of the ocean. The sky around it was dark, and it was reflected mirror like upon the water's surface. It was lovely. Why had Rowen had to show up and complicate everything? He couldn't be responsible for his brother's death. That thought was unacceptable. Sage supposed it would mean a life devoid of color, he might never be trusted again, and the shame of this whole attempt would be a constant reminder of his weakness. He closed his eyes, bidding farewell to the peace he'd promised himself, and grasped Rowen's hand.

With a sob, Rowen stood up carefully, pulling Sage up to where he could grab the edge. Switching Sage's hand to his bad one, he used his good one to grab his shirt and haul him up to safety. Shaky from the adrenaline, Rowen would have liked to simply rest there for a moment, but he didn't trust Sage just yet. He had to get him away from here. "Come on," he said and pulled Sage to his feet. He was still angry, and hurt, but he was too glad they were both alive to be rough. Keeping a hold on the silent Sage, he led them quickly down the cliff.

It was getting dark, but it would be too cold to stay out here for the night. Besides, Rowen did not want to stay in this cove any longer. He struck out across the beach, followed obediently by Sage. Quickly, they came to the narrow path he had followed Sage on earlier. The tide was rising, but it still seemed crossable. "I'm serious," he warned his charge sternly, eyeing the water. "I won't let go."

"I know," the other said quietly, defeated.

Carefully, they followed it around the bend back to the main beach. There was a terrifying moment when Rowen lost his footing, slipping into the water. Without a word, Sage had grabbed him by the shoulders and helped him back to the relative safety of the rocks.

* * *

I'm actually really happy with how most of this turned out. I handwrote this initially, and I remember when I got to this scene I was sitting at a basketball game where my sister was playing in the band. I was so involved in writing it that one time, when I looked up, I still saw sand and water swimming before my eyes. Nothing like that had ever happened before, and it was a pretty cool experience. It had become very personal to me, and I hope some of that came through. It's kinda funny, I hadn't intended for Rowen to be the supporting character, he just decided to jump into that role. Also funny, I don't use language, obviously, but there were some parts where Rowen tried very hard to throw in some words that I don't approve of. It actually held up the writing because he was trying so hard! I guess that's just Rowen. And you're almost done. :) One last chapter, and your journey will be complete. Thank you for reading.


	15. This Light of Mine

Chapter 15

It was the moon showing them the way when they finally got past the worst of it. The water was still chasing them higher as they walked across the sand, but they'd be able to stay above it now. He realized Sage was breathing hard beside him and stopped. It was difficult sometimes to remember just how weakened Sage had become. The blond young man sank to the sand. After a moment, Rowen sat down next to him. His wet clothes were beginning to make him shiver, but it was okay.

It was growing cold. The moon was full and close, the stars crisp and clear. The sound of waves massaging the shore had a soothing effect on his nerves.

"I didn't want to kill her," Sage said unexpectedly, his voice only less quiet than the night around them. "I only wanted her to give up her armor, but I failed to stay in control, and butchered her instead."

From his tone, Rowen realized Sage was not expecting an answer, so he stayed quiet, all but forgetting the wet cold cocooning him.

"Things had gone well with Sekhmet. I killed him easily. I wasn't even expecting it to happen, my will supplanted by the armor. It makes me wonder if it really was all Halo's bloodthirst, or if I am simply naturally monstrous at heart," he shifted, startled by the touch of sea water that had just reached his toes. He pulled his feet back, but the immediate was soon lost thoughts far from the present. "All those people. I didn't stop to help any of them. I didn't see how I could. I wish I could say it was just another act of his, but I know that decision was mine." His voice did not rise with emotion, instead keeping to a soft, even cadence. "How many people could I have saved? I will never know. When I found the warlords, there were people there. I tried to save them." Rowen could hear the tears in his voice, though its tone did not change as his brother put fingers to a healed wound that must once have been on his face. "She was just a little girl. That was what I saw, even as I killed the soldier beneath. They were all just soldiers, but that wasn't what I _saw._" He dropped his hand from his face, and the slight emotion from his voice. "I wasn't strong enough to take Cale," he said, ignoring the ocean as it again probed at his toes. Rowen did not move either. "Not without _him_. Then you guys showed up."

There was a sharp intake of breath as Rowen was startled by his words. They'd never been there, how did-Oh, oh no, he thought as Sage went on leadenly.

"I didn't even think it may have been Dais, I was so distressed by your presence. They looked and sounded just like you, and what you said, too. Your encouragement made me glad you were there, and for a moment I was relieved to not be alone anymore. I remember thinking that we could do it, all together. That was this," a hand to his chest. "And this," dropping it to his belly. "I failed to see the truth for myself, so it was made clear."

Rowen stared, horrified. He was beginning, he thought, to understand.

"It's stupid," Sage said. "But as I was dying, I felt betrayed. Even as Ryo became Dais, I felt betrayed. Halo saved me. When I got too weak to keep him back, he gave me the strength to rise. I almost got Dais, but he managed to escape me." The water was past their feet now, but neither of the young men acknowledged it. "After using him to heal myself, I pushed Halo back somewhat. It seems so arrogant, thinking I could take on the warlords and retain control. How stupidly arrogant to think I could strike that balance." His heavy breathing was at odds with his deliberate voice. "That was when Dais arranged a demonstration, to show me what would happen with my death, how easy it would be for you all to turn on each other. You utterly destroyed each other. It started with an argument, then you hit Ryo and everything fell apart. Cye lost it first, but in the end Kento beat him to pulp. His Super Wave-Smasher and Kento's Iron Rock Crusher pummeled you. Ryo burnt Kento to ashes, and you killed Ryo, then succumbed to your wounds. All of you dead." His breath caught. "I could _smell _Kento, Rowen. I have felt hate before but this was different. This time, inside Halo, I felt free to do something about it. As if my inhibitions were removed by his own, or my own, yearning for action. When I went out, Cale was the only thing in sight, but he called more of their soldiers. 'Ronin Warriors to me,' he said, after Dais had offered to 'show' me what it would be like if you guys instead served Talpa. It seemed so possible. After all, hadn't I already murdered Kayura so coldly, and close to doing it again? I was so easily blinded by my rage, it was easy to believe his prediction." The water was pooled around them now, gaining depth. They weren't ready to leave. Sage's voice had turned strained. As much as he tried to fight it, the flood of emotion was building, threatening to spill, even as it did not feel his own. "It seemed endless, Rowen. There were so many of you. From how I see you everyday, to your armors, I had to fight you all. I killed you all. The whole time, you were all talking to me. I almost lost it. You'd tell me we could do it together, Ryo would ask me not to hurt him, but you were trying to kill me. Kento would ask me what I was doing, and Cye would say he was there for me. I had to kill them with those smiles on their faces. Saying so many other things too, offering to help me. Dais does his job well. I killed you, and killed you, and killed you, until Cye alone was on my sword, calling me a monster." His tone turned bitter. "How could I disagree?" His head was hung, his shoulders stooped. "Dais caught me in his web, and Cale went to work on me. That was when he told me, about how we could never win. I tried calling, but it didn't look like Anubis was going to come. So I stopped resisting Halo. I didn't want them to win, but even more I didn't want you guys to kill each other, or to lead yourselves to destruction by continuing to use the armors when you had no idea what would happen to you. Sounds pretty hypocritical. If I had just waited, things may have happened differently. As it was, that was the moment Anubis freed me from the web, but I had already given myself to my armor. I killed Dais and Cale, and I almost killed Anubis, too. I don't know why I didn't, but I just hurt him and came looking for you." He sighed. "As he died, Sekhmet asked me what I would do when 'it' got to you guys. Dais asked me if I was going to kill you, too, and Cale said I would make a good warlord. Turns out, they were right. When you found me, I didn't know if you were real or not, and in the end I decided it didn't matter." It was hard for him to say. "In the end, I decided I could never let the armors have you, even if it meant destroying you to protect you. That was before I decided you must have been more of Dais' tricks. I failed to see what was right, and true. Again, I failed. I failed you when I tried to kill you. I came close to it, too. I couldn't stand it, Rowen, hearing you all saying those same things I had heard before, and after I thought I had finally ended it. The same faces, the same voices, the same words. I would have killed Cye, too, and then have tried to finish the rest of you off, if I hadn't seen his shadow. The soldiers didn't have shadows. I had wanted to protect you, instead I become one of your greatest threats." He looked over his shoulder. "Now do you wish you had let me fall?"

With both hands, Rowen grabbed Sage and pulled him into a fierce, trembling embrace. "_Never_, Sage. Never."

Sage's voice was no longer steady. "But what he, I did. I'm horrible."

"No you're not," Rowen said with strongest conviction, holding tightly. "You are not horrible, and you did not fail. You were so strong. You say you failed, well listen to me when I tell you otherwise." He'd had no idea, he couldn't have guessed what he had gone through. He'd known it had to have been terrible, but the atrocities wreaked upon his friend were inhuman, and the emotions he felt for his brother choked him. "I could never have continued on, as you did, I couldn't have reined myself in after Kayura, and I wouldn't have been strong enough to overcome Halo when it mattered most. I doubt anyone could have. You kept yourself from killing Anubis, you kept yourself from killing us. You are nothing but gold at the core. You're nothing like them. Sage, it's a miracle you succeeded. Always, when you most needed to be, you were strong enough. See? You are no failure, Sage, you saved us all." He thought back to when he had punched Ryo, the tension that had grown so quickly between them, and that mad ride in the Jeep. If any of them had been as close to it as Sage had, the thought did not bear conclusion. "If it had been any of the rest of us, we would have been lost."

"But I am lost," Sage moaned. The water was getting deeper, starting to sway them with it as it climbed ashore. "Rowen, I don't know who I am anymore! I feel so hollow, so empty inside. It's as if I sold my soul, and now my heart is just a huge void. I don't know how to beat this, I can't even fight it. I'm not even me, anymore."

"Trust me," Rowen said, putting his hands on his shoulders and holding him out to look him in the eye. "You're still in there Sage, you aren't soulless, and you can beat this."

"I don't know-," Sage started.

"Stop it! Rowen shook him. "If you were really so devoid of everything, if you really were not the Sage I know, then you would have let me drown with you! Instead you decided to have courage, even if that's not what you think, and you decided to protect me. That is what you did, that is what Sage would do. And I promise you, we will do everything we can to help you see it for yourself. We will help you, whatever it is, whatever it takes, no matter what."

A larger wave slid up the beach with disguised force. It knocked them over, and pulled them backwards several meters. Rowen and Sage exchanged looks and scrambled to safe ground. Away from the surf, they could hear the others calling their names.

"We're over here!" Rowen shouted. He and Sage stood there, shivering, fully aware now of how cold they were. Sage coughed, the motion shaking him off his unsteady feet. Rowen caught him. "Let's get you home."

"I'm sorry," Sage said, as they walked slowly, allowing Rowen to support him.

Rowen knew for what he meant. "It's okay," he smiled. "I'm just glad you'll be alright."

"How did you know?"

"Are you guys okay?" They could hear Kento's worried voice challenge and defeat the roaring waters.

"Yeah!" Rowen called back. "We're okay." His teeth were chattering, but he was still quite understandable as he talked quietly to Sage. "I didn't, not really. If I had I wouldn't have let you go as far as you did. I just knew something wasn't right with you all day, and I'd promised myself and you mother I wouldn't let you out of my sight. I got the feeling you might have had something stupid in mind when you left the house, but I didn't really think you'd do it."

"I never knew you were there."

"You weren't supposed to. Still, I guess we got a beautiful sunset out of all that, and something much more important."

Sage's feet were numb, causing him to stumble clumsily. It seemed a long way back to the house in the dark like this. Something nagged at him, something Rowen had said. Beautiful sunset. Yes, it had been, especially the way it had reflected gently off the water, surrounded by the darkness as if it were framed. He gasped.

"Are you okay?" Rowen asked quickly.

"I remember," Sage said. "Let me down."

"You're going to freeze if we don't keep moving," Rowen said, pausing.

"I hid it from him, just in case," Sage said. "I need to find it."

Rowen could tell his lips were blue. "I don't know what it is you're talking about, but hang on to that thought, buddy. I can't let you stay here."

"The mirror," Sage said to himself. "Where did I put the mirror?"

Rowen hoped Sage really did know what he was talking about, and that this wasn't some half mad babbling. He was still deeply shaken by the events of the day, making him overly glad to see Kento and Cye as they caught up to him.

"Where's Ryo?" He asked.

"He went looking in the other direction," Cye answered. Then shocked, he quickly took his coat off, putting it around the blue haired boy. "You guys are soaking wet. What have you been doing? Is Sage alright?"

Kento had taken his off, too, and wrapped it around Sage, taking the young man from Rowen. "You guys have been gone for hours," Kento said, carrying Sage gently in his big arms as they all went back, more quickly now, to the beach house. "What happened?"

"Sage tried to jump," Rowen said indistinctly between the clattering of his teeth. "But he's okay now."

"What?" Cye exclaimed incredulously. "Why?"

"I'll explain later," Rowen promised. "Right now we need to get him warmed up."

Getting into the Date's beach house, Rowen hit the shower, while Kento and Cye dumped Sage, clothes and all, into a warm bath, gradually increasing the temperature until finally, twenty minutes later, he was suitably warmed. At Sage's request, they left him alone. They met Rowen outside the door and followed him downstairs, where he explained everything to both them and and Ryo, who had returned.

In the bath, Sage closed his eyes and relaxed. He hadn't practiced meditation in too long a time, but it was not hard to ease into the deeper layers of his consciousness. He had remembered the path and now stood before the mirror and the image he had left.

He saw himself fully, both eyes open. His own smile seemed to reassure him, to say everything was alright. Looking upon himself as he had been, it seemed right. He was ready, eager, actually, to reclaim himself, and become again, all that he should be. Reaching up, he took hold of the sun, and clutched it tightly to his chest, allowing the warmth to soothe his troubled soul. Then he opened it, and the blazing light engulfed him in its illuminating brilliance, reminding and filling him until he was full almost to bursting. Here was real truth. Life was fleeting, and truth subject to perspective, and he held himself again in his rightful places.

When he emerged from the bathing room, he was again the Sage Date of old. Changed, yes. A great deal had happened that would take time and effort to work through, but now he felt up to the challenge. In his heart beat the determination to conquer mountains, and in his mind quiet pools of peace where both had been forgotten. Slighter, scarred, and still haunted, he walked down the stairwell with grace. Shoulders squared and strong, the light of hope in his eyes.

When he reached the room, conversation stopped, and all four sets of eyes looked to him.

"Sage?" Cye asked, searching his face for some sign.

Sage gave a small, genuine smile, and nodded his head. "Yeah."

Ryo walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. "Good to have you back, Sage."

"Here," Rowen tossed something through the air.

Sage caught it and looked it over. He recognized the sea shell he had rescued. Small, perfect, and a sweet reminder of the value of such things in this world.

"You'll be wanting that," Rowen stated.

"Thank you," Sage clutched it gently in his palm. He looked up at them, standing hopefully in the room where such anxious conversation had taken place. The echo of concern for him was already slipping out of the air. "I should have told you guys before, but you mean the world to me. I've come to rely on you all."

"You don't need to get sappy man," Kento grinned broadly. "We already know."

* * *

And here we are, finished. I sincerely hope you found something to enjoy in this, and I am very grateful that you took the time to read it. If you want to drop me a note or review, I would really love to hear it. I love constructive criticism! So even if you want to point out everything that was wrong, I'd be happy to see it. Thanks again awesome peoples!


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